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MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) again defended yesterday its shift to a three-term school calendar beginning school year 2026-2027, saying the reform will not add costs for parents and is aimed at protecting instructional time.
In an interview with dzMM, DepEd OIC-Undersecretary for learning systems strand Carmela Oracion emphasized that the change from four quarters to three terms will not impose additional expenses on families.
“There are no expenses (for parents) because we are simply reorganizing the school year. The school year still begins on the same date, and will end on the same date, so cost-wise, the three-term school calendar has no cost for parents and for learners,” Oracion said.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara earlier issued DepEd Order 009, series of 2026, outlining the guidelines for the new calendar.
Under the policy, the first term will run from June to September, the second from September to December and the third from January to March, with the school year running from June 8 to April 8, 2027.
“In every term, we have what we call an instructional block and an end-of-term block. The instructional block is where our teaching and learning is concentrated so the teachers are able to focus their attention on preparing for their lessons, lesson-related tasks. After that, the students are able to focus their attention on teaching and learning,” Oracion explained.
She stressed that extracurricular activities will not be removed but rescheduled to avoid disrupting lessons.
“Extracurricular and co-curricular activities are also important, very important in the holistic formation of the learners. (But) the divided attention is always very problematic. In the end, we don’t remember many things. We aren’t able to absorb things as deeply as we should when our attention is divided,” Oracion said.
‘Thorough study’
Despite these intended benefits and DepEd’s continued assurance, several groups still flagged concerns and urged caution over the policy’s rollout.
The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) called yesterday for a pilot implementation of the three-term calendar, warning that a nationwide rollout without sufficient preparation could disrupt the education system.
“We recognize the DepEd’s goal in this reform, but such a big plan for change will require genuine consultation with all stakeholders. A thorough study is needed and it is also important to have a pilot implementation,” said TDC chairman Benjo Basas.
He stressed that reforms must be carefully tested and grounded in evidence.
“If the goal is good and the expected result is also good, then it shouldn’t be rushed because it might not be effective, it might fail. What a waste,” he added.
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) echoed similar concerns, pointing out the absence of supporting studies.
“There is no pilot study being presented to prove that this is the effective way to address learning gaps. How can DepEd claim this will improve learning outcomes when schools still lack classrooms, chairs and adequate learning resources?” she said.
“You cannot claim you’re addressing learning gaps while piling more work on teachers who are already overstretched… You don’t fix literacy and learning gaps by rearranging the calendar while leaving the real problems untouched – overcrowded classrooms, overworked teachers, lack of quality books and students coming to school hungry,” Bernardo added.
Mismatch
Aside from the calendar reform, other concerns about the broader education system also persist.
Data from the Second Congressional Commission on Education revealed a significant mismatch between teachers’ specializations and the subjects they handle.
At least 98 percent of Physical Sciences teachers and 80 percent of Biological Sciences teachers are teaching outside their specialization.
The mismatch is also prevalent in junior high school levels, affecting up to 99 percent of Physical Sciences teachers and 47 percent of Science teachers.
In senior high school, the mismatch affects 98 percent of Physical Sciences teachers, 80 percent of Biological Sciences teachers and 71 percent of Science teachers.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian raised concerns over the issue and pushed for interventions such as teacher training and support for struggling learners.
He also backed Senate Bill 1899, which seeks to give DepEd flexibility in adopting more effective teaching approaches and to move away from the spiral progression model under the K-12 law.
Interventions
Amid these challenges, DepEd is rolling out parallel interventions to address the learning crisis.
Angara announced that the agency will implement expanded summer remediation programs from May 6 to June 3 for millions of learners needing academic support.
“It is our duty to ensure that every student has adequate support. DepEd is here to support our students to improve their knowledge,” Angara said.
“With the support of President Bongbong Marcos, we are ensuring that our programs have adequate care and direction for the betterment of the future of our youth,” he added.
Among the key initiatives is the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) program, which is expected to benefit around 3.7 million learners.
Meanwhile, the Senior High School Remediation program will assist about 2.1 million incoming Grade 12 students in mastering essential competencies in English, Filipino and Mathematics.
DepEd is also set to roll out the Summer Academic Remedial Program that will provide targeted support to around 141,000 learners across all grade levels who failed to meet the required standards in one or two learning areas, helping them move forward with confidence.
The department is mobilizing around 607,000 teachers and volunteer tutors nationwide to ensure learners receive the personalized attention, guidance and encouragement needed for effective learning recovery.
Meanwhile, in a bid to strengthen data-driven decision-making, Angara announced plans to adopt barangay-level education mapping to better identify learning gaps and guide resource allocation.
He said the initiative was inspired by a presentation from University of the Philippines BS Economics student Timothy Hormigos, who developed a detailed map of educational attainment using data from the Philippine Statistics Authority that allowed the government to better target interventions, particularly in areas where disparities persist even within the same city or municipality.
Angara has directed DepEd officials to study the model and explore how it can be integrated into the agency’s planning systems, noting that more precise data could improve the allocation of classrooms, teachers and learning resources.
“We can’t predict the problem, we have to see it, down to the barangay level. And as our data and monitoring become more granular, we also become more honest and transparent with the public, what we are doing and what we still need to do,” Angara said.
