With all the questions surfacing the community for the opening of classes amid the pandemic, Holy Cross College leadership faced the students including their concerned parents and guardians for a consultation meeting from June 23-30.
The President of the Holy Cross College, Atty. Dennis C. Pangan together with the administrative heads answered all questions straight forward, whether about financial status or the management of a flexible learning approach.
The school with a heart promised transparency and clarity of policies to remove the doubts of students and parents on the opening of classes.
Students are also given time to ask questions about their programs, online class schedules, modules, fees, and other school-related matters.
‘NO UNIFORM POLICY’ IS A GO
From June 23-24, college students discussed different issues like the uniform for the First Semester. Last May 31, the Office of the President and the Management Committee mandated a ‘No Regular Uniform Policy’ to help their students during the crisis.
This policy will help lessen the expenses of students. It was resolved that students can wear decent and comfortable attire during classes except for those students who need to wear their practicum uniforms.
For some students who will attend online classes, comfortable but decent attire will also be allowed from elementary to college.
STUDENTS HAVE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE CLASSES
Some concerns about flexible learning approach were also raised during the consultation. The Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) Dr. Leticia Flores clarified that the school is not forcing students to buy laptops or any technological gadgets just to attend classes. “We are giving them the freedom to students to choose, kaya po kami nagpasurvey kung online or modular po sila. Our teachers are already preparing the modules and this will be delivered at your doorstep every two weeks,” Dr. Flores said.
The school will also collect the assignments and activities given to students every two weeks to assess their development. A consultation hour per student will be set by the teacher to guide them in their lessons.
For the online classes, parents or guardians will also have access to the e-learning management system (e-LMS) to help and monitor their children.
CEC and CCLS Dean Marvin Mallari explained that the e-LMS has user-friendly features that ensure effective student engagement. “Our design for the online class is simple. Ongoing po ang training ng ating mga guro. Magkakaroon din po tayo ng trial classes para samga estudyante bago mag umpisa ang klase,” he said.
The admin also clarified that modules will be free of charge as well as the online class. Unlike other schools that will implement online classes and will need to have a registration fee for a virtual platform, HCC will handle all the expenses for the website and student portal.
UNUSED FEES TO BE REFUNDED
Moreover, from June 24-25, the administrative heads met the elementary students and their parents. During the consultation meeting, the main concern on tuition and miscellaneous fee surfaced. “Alam ko ang karanasan ng maging mahirap ng walang makain, ginagawa po naming lahat para makapag-aral ang inyong anak. May nag-eenrol ng P100 pesos lang pera, hinayaan ko po na mag enroll. Ayaw ko po na aalisin pa ang mga estudyante, ang utang po nababayaran, kayang kitaan pero ang pag aaral po ng mga bata hindi pwedeng isaalang-alang,” President Pangan said.
HCC president announced that there will be a P2,000 fee decrease for elementary students. The school also implemented a P500 downpayment for enrollment amid the pandemic. “Yung 1,000 discount po na binibigay, gagawin na pong 2,000 initially, dahil kung matutuloy po tayo sa online or distance learning mababawasan po ang babayaran. Pero ngayon po hindi pa po magawa nating bawasan dahil baka biglang magbalik normal ang sitwayson ng Pilipinas lalo na dito sa Pampanga,” President Pangan said.
The president promised that if face-to-face classes will not be conducted during the academic year, some fees will be refunded. However, it will still undergo an assessment from the Board of Directors. The online enrolment is still ongoing. For transferee students, if your requirements are still pending, please call the registrar to help you. The school with a heart is also open for transactions from Monday to Friday, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.