The Mindanao State University (MSU) System administration has assured attention to the recent petition against resuming classes at the Main Campus, effective Monday, December 11, aiming to provide academic relief instead.
This, after their students marched around the university and trooped to the administration building raising signages stating “Hear our plea,” “Hustisya muna bago finals (Justice first before finals),” “Make MSU safe,” and “Protect your students, not your image,” among others.
Such banners strongly called for the postponement of their classes and making the security of their constituency the top-most agenda following the bomb explosion at Dimaporo Gymnasium on December 3 this year, which killed four individuals and wounded 45 others.
“Please try to hear us out. We are not enemies. We want a true safer and more secure environment for MSU, not only for students but for all those who visit the campus,” said Sharifa Muti, the audit commissioner of the Supreme Student Government (SSG).
Hearing this, Presidential Management Staff Director lawyer Rashid Pandi stressed that this message of their young constituents would not go unnoticed as they would attend to this.
In the meantime, Pandi said they are still enforcing the declaration to continue their academic activities.
“We acknowledge the growing call from students to shift to online classes. We will consider in the coming days if there is a new deliberation on whether the university officials will reconsider its decision. So far, the decision stands. We are just here to give them an audience, to let them know that this will not go unnoticed, and to listen to them. We acknowledge their right to express their dissent,” said Pandi.
The MSU system announced an amendment to their academic calendar, rescheduling examinations for January 2024 to assuage the academic burden on students.
Apart from this, they provided psychosocial support for those still suffering from pain and trauma resulting from the recent explosion in their campus.
Pandi confirmed that a memorandum offered specific accommodation, allowing students unprepared for face-to-face classes to be excused and receive debriefing and relevant interventions.
“Some of them have manifested that they are not yet ready to go back to in-person classes and have availed of our psychosocial interventions and services. They can contact our center and communicate their unreadiness for in-person classes. What they need is debriefing and psychosocial interventions. We acknowledge that,” he said.
In its record, MSU logged roughly 1,900 students who went home after the blast. However, approximately 400 of them returned to the campus after availing of the transportation assistance provided by the university and some concerned local government units. (CRG/PIA-10/Lanao del Sur)
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