Metro Manila, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) is looking at a trimester system for school year 2026 to 2027 to correct the distribution of hours in school activities and help lessen the burden of administrative tasks for teachers.
The agency said on Friday, Feb. 13, that the proposal is part of the holistic approach to improve the quality of education. Schools now have four academic quarters in a school year.
“Itinutulak natin ito upang magkaroon ng mas mahahabang, tuloy-tuloy na panahon ng pagkatuto, mas maayos na pacing ng mga aralin, at mas mababang administrative burden para sa ating mga guro,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara was quoted in a statement.
[Translation: We are pushing for longer and more continuous learning periods, better pacing of lessons, and a lower administrative burden for our teachers.]
Angara said the plan was based on the findings of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), and will require more consultation with education stakeholders.
In late January, the EDCOM 2 handed over to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. its final report, which revealed a “worrying ‘proficiency collapse’ that worsens as students advance through the current system.”
In that report as well, the commission also called out that around 150 legislated activities and school celebrations “crowd an already shortened school year, eroding engaged time on task.”
Learning crisis
Some teachers groups were worried in their initial response to the proposal, noting the need for further and careful study and consultations with students, parents, and teachers.
“Ang adjustment sa semesters ay hindi naman makapagtitiyak ng kalidad ng edukasyon,” Benjo Basas, national chairperson of Teachers’ Dignity Coalition, told NewsWatch Plus on Saturday.
“Kailangan ay ang radikal na pagtugon sa mga suliranin ng ating sistema Mula sa mga pasilidad, imprastruktura, teknolohiya at higit sa lahat, sahod at kapakanan ng mga guro,” he said.
[Translation: The adjustment of semesters will not guarantee quality of education. What needs to be done is to radically address the issues in the system, from facilities, infrastructure, technology, and most of all, salaries and welfare of teachers.]
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) shared the view of Basas, as it also questioned the basis of Angara’s proposal, asking for concrete studies that may back the shift.
“The group questioned how teachers’ budget of work can realistically be compressed into three semesters, when meeting requirements under the current four-quarter system is already extremely difficult,” the group said in a statement on Saturday.
“Paano iaangkop ang grading system na matagal nang nakahati sa apat, na may iba’t ibang anyo ng assessment at criteria?” ACT Chairperson Ruby Bernardo was also quoted as saying.
[Translation: How do we adapt the grading system that has long been divided into four, with different forms of assessment and criteria?]
Tri-sem in June
DepEd proposed that the 201 school days be grouped into three academic terms.
The first semester will be from June to September, second semester in September to December, and the third in January to March.
“Magkakaroon din ng nakatakdang breaks sa pagitan ng mga termino upang mabigyan ng oras ang mga guro para sa lesson planning, pagsusuri ng outputs, at iba pang professional tasks na makatutulong sa mas epektibong pagtuturo,” DepEd said.
[Translation: Breaks will be set in between terms to allocate time for teachers in lesson planning, output assessment, and professional tasks to help in more effective teaching.]
‘Blocks,’ ‘low-disruption alternatiaves’
Part of the suggested reform will be the introduction of “blocks” during the academic terms:
- Instructional block – covers 54 to 61 days of the term dedicated for teaching and learning, with few delays for non-academic activities
- Enrichment block – for remediation and enrichment, computation of grades, preparation and checking of school forms, wellness breaks, etc.
- Opening block – only for the first term, meant for activities in opening the school year.
DepEd also offered “low-disruption alternatives,” wherein celebrations and observances will be integrated to lessons instead of holding programs and activities that disrupt classes.
With this, schools may instead integrate national and cultural celebrations to reading materials, writing exercises, projects, short reflection activities, and thematic discussions, among others.
“Ipinapakita ng datos ng DepEd na ang kasalukuyang school calendar ay nagdudulot ng maiksing oras ng pagtuturo dahil kailangang pagbigyan ng mga paaralan ang maraming mandatory observances, reporting requirements, at administrative tasks,” the agency said, noting teachers sacrifice continued instruction for compliance.
[Translation: DepEd data shows that the current school calendar results in shorter instructional time as schools have to accommodate many mandatory observances, reporting requirements, and administrative tasks.]
EDCOM 2 said its review of recent DepEd calendars indicated public schools have an average of only around 191 actual class days yearly, with other regions losing up to 42 days to disaster-related suspensions and disruptions due to legislated activities.
Contests such as the National Schools Press Conference, Palarong Pambansa, and the National Festival of Talents were also conducted during periodic tests “compounding disruptions in sequencing and reducing engaged time-on-task, especially in already disadvantaged contexts.”
