The top four universities in the Philippines are considering shifting the academic calendar to August-June from the current June to March in 2015. These universities intend to synchronise calendars with overseas universities to be able to take advantage of exchange and collaboration opportunities, which have often been missed because of the mismatch in academic calendars. This shift will likewise be advantageous for the impending ASEAN community integration in 2015.

The local higher education ministry is bent on studying the proposal considering the repercussions of such a shift to the schedule of professional exams, among other things. The basic education ministry, however, does not see the need for the shift. This will lead to timing concerns when high school graduates finish in March but are only able to join university in August. Reports Inquirer