MSU implements academic leniency for students affected by bombing

MANILA – The Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi City is allowing its students to be given an incomplete grade and another semester to complete their academic requirements in the aftermath of the bombing.

MSU’s Board of Regents on Tuesday instructed the university president to implement several adjustments so their students could cope with school requirements after the suspension of classes due to the deadly bombing that killed four people and injured several others early this month.

Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chair J. Prospero de Vera III said the policy was adopted during the fourth-quarter meeting of the MSU Board where President Basari Mapupuno briefed the regents on the measures adopted by the university in the aftermath of the bombing.

“As the chairperson of the MSU Board, I commend President Mapupuno and other university officials for immediately strengthening safety and security measures in the Marawi campus to bring back the confidence of students, faculty, and employees that MSU will remain a zone of peace in the coming months,” de Vera said.

He noted that the adjustment was made for the students who were distressed and traumatized by the incident and feel that they could not continue with their studies.

Mapupuno also said MSU would send a letter of request to government institutions and organizations that have granted some of their students scholarships to ensure their status would not be affected.

Moreover, MSU will “relax the rules” for the scholarships it has granted to students.

“I have also instructed the OVCCA [Office of the Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs] to send letters to the scholarship-giving institutions to give consideration to our students,” he said.

Classes in MSU-Marawi campus resumed on Monday, with about 1,300 students returning for face-to-face classes.

This was after government security agencies, such as the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, declared the university was safe to hold classes again.

About 2,000 students were picked up by their respective local government units to return home at the request of their parents.

The MSU provided free transportation assistance through pick-up points for students in adjoining cities and provinces to assist them in returning to the campus for face-to-face classes.

The CHED will provide additional financial assistance to students affected by the blast by including them as Tulong Dunong beneficiaries for School Year 2023-2024.

The commission urged the constituents of MSU and other higher education institutions to continuously enhance the security on their campuses.