15 June 2020
Dear MPM and Evangelium Students,
Greetings of peace and joy in the Lord!
Confronted with the prevailing uncertainty and the new emerging realities brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, let me assure you that we here in Don Bosco School of Theology remain committed to our vision-mission: the theological and pastoral formation of priests, consecrated persons and the laity to be educators in the faith of the young and of families in response to the challenges of the new evangelization. Spurred on by spirit of our Founder, St. John Bosco, we move forward to face the inevitable called “the new normal” with determination and hope as we set our sights on the new academic year ahead.
I wish to provide you, then, with decisions the DBST Executive Committee has made for the Institute of Pastoral Formation (ITF) for both the Master in Pastoral Ministry (MPM) Program and the Evangelium Program.
1. Schedule of the Academic Year 2020-2021
DBST opens the new Academic Year 2020-2021 on August 3, 2020.
The first semester of classes begins on August 8 and ends on December 12, 2020.
The second semester begins on January 16, 2021 and ends on May 22, 2021.
2. Learning Continuity Plan
DBST follows a Learning Continuity Plan that adapts Two (2) Learning Delivery Models depending on the preference of its professors:
2.1. Remote Teaching and Learning:
Purely Online/Virtual or Home-based Mode of Instruction
A professor teaches his course in a modular way either via electronic correspondences or via virtual classrooms.
2.2. Blended or Flexible Learning Mode:
Combination of Face-to-face (F2F) Interaction and Online Instruction
A professor holds online classes and also gets to meet his students face-to-face on specified Saturdays for purposes of deeper discussion, clarification and evaluation (midterm and final examinations).
Following the directives of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), our classes in August 2020 will be purely online. We will conduct the Blended or Flexible Learning Mode with F2F instructions by September 2020, keeping the COVID-19 Protocols and utilizing for this purpose the MHC aula magna of DBST and the AVR of the Seminaryo ng Don Bosco for the MPM students and the Versiglia Hall and the Caravario Hall of the DBST for the Evangelium students.
3. Faculty Preparation for Online Education
DBST professors will undergo a series of training-workshop on the use of technology in view of the online delivery of substantial content and quality instruction and learner support system in the months of June and July 2020. They will signify to the Office of the Dean their preferred Learning Delivery Model and prepare and submit their course syllabi that indicates the course objective, content, reading references, mode of monitoring of achievement of learner competencies and the grading system.
4. Tuition and Other School Fees (TOSF)
DBST will not raise tuition rates this coming Academic Year. Instead, we are reducing the miscellaneous fees by waiving the Publication Fee and slashing to half the Library Fee and the Ecological Support Fee.
The exact TOSF per program and year level will already be reflected in the rates as the students go for enrollment.
5. Enrollment and Registration for Old Students
Enrollment and registration for the MPM and Evangelium Programs will be done either via online or face-to-face mode on August 1, 2020 for old students. Cash payments can be made through check deposit to our bank account.
(Payable to Don Bosco Center of Studies, Inc. Metrobank, Dona Soledad Branch. Acct. No. 081-3-08110632-1)
6. Entrance Examinations and Enrollment for Incoming Students
Entrance examinations for new student applicants to the MPM Program will be conducted via face-to-face mode on July 4 and 11, 2020. Enrollment with interview by the IPF Vice-Dean will be on July 18 and 25, 2020.
New student applicants to the Evangelium Program will have their face-to-face entrance examinations on July 30, 2020 and enrollment on August 1, 2020.
For further information, you may get in touch with Ms. Ghie, my secretary, via email (vhanjlunar13@gmail.com) or sms (# 0919-3297987) or Ms. Emma, Evangelium Coordinator, via email (bluehmz2016@gmail.com) or sms (#0915-6224321).
Thank you so much. God bless us all!
