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Bella Cariaso - The Philippine Star
March 26, 2026 | 12:00am
Students and school officials rehearse graduation rites at the Marikina High School on Tuesday.
WALTER BOLLOZOS
MANILA, Philippines — The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) rejected yesterday the Department of Education’s defense of the three-term school calendar, saying the claimed consultations do not reflect the actual experience of teachers on the ground.
ACT chairperson Ruby Bernardo said many teachers were caught off guard by the announcement, contradicting DepEd’s assertion that the policy was the product of extensive consultations.
“If there was truly broad consultation, why were so many teachers surprised by such a major policy shift? An orientation cascade cannot be equated with meaningful participation of teachers in policymaking,” Bernardo said.
Defending the implementation of the three-term school calendar, DepEd earlier said the policy is the result of exhaustive, multi-level consultations with teachers, school leaders, parents, learners and representatives from both public and private education sectors amid criticisms from teachers’ groups.
Bernardo acknowledged the urgency of addressing learning gaps but warned that rushed and misaligned reforms would only deepen existing problems.
She emphasized that the proposed shift fails to address the real drivers of the learning crisis – teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, lack of learning materials and low salaries – while placing additional burden on teachers tasked with implementing the reform.
According to Bernardo, similar patterns emerged during the implementation of the K-12 program, where teachers had long warned that structural issues were being ignored in favor of sweeping reforms that lacked sufficient support.
