CHED suspends foreign internships for this academic year

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 18) — The Commission of Higher Education said Thursday it has suspended all overseas internships of Filipino students for the academic year 2020-2021 to ensure their safety as COVID-19 pandemic drags on.

“Hindi tayo sigurado sa kalagayan ng ating mga estudyante ‘pag sila’y pinaalis natin," CHED chairperson Prospero de Vera III said during a televised briefing. 

[Translation: We cannot be certain about their condition if we allow them to leave and take their internships overseas.]

"Hindi natin alam kung ang pupuntahan nilang lugar ay ligtas at kapag nagkaproblema sila ay nahihirapan tayong ibalik sila sa Pilipinas," de Vera added.

[Translation: We also don’t know if the place for which they are headed is safe. We might also find it difficult to bring them back home if they encounter problems.]

De Vera said 20 private universities and colleges started their classes in June and July, and most of them are using the digital platform.

He added that 731 private and public higher education institutions will begin their academic calendar this month using distance learning systems, while 186 more will start in September and October.