President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved a major shift in the Philippine education system, moving public schools from four grading periods to three terms starting in the 2026-2027 school year. The change comes after recommendations from economic advisers and aims to address persistent challenges in the country's educational landscape.
Under the new structure, the 201-day school calendar will be divided into three blocks: June to September, September to December, and January to March. Each term will feature 54 to 61 learning days followed by assessment or enrichment periods.
"Education officials said the approved structure is expected to benefit learners by providing longer, uninterrupted instructional days, reducing lesson fragmentation, allowing structured recovery periods, and improving overall pacing of instruction," the Presidential Communications Office announced.
The calendar overhaul represents a significant departure from the long-standing four-quarter system implemented by the Department of Education (DepEd). This change arrives as schools nationwide continue to lose substantial instructional time to various disruptions.
A recent study revealed that 53 teaching days were lost during the 2023-2024 school year due to typhoons, extreme heat, local holidays, and non-teaching tasks assigned to educators—equivalent to an entire academic quarter. Additionally, researchers have identified more than 150 legislated celebrations and observances that annually consume valuable classroom time.
Mixed Reactions from Education Stakeholders
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) has strongly criticized the change, questioning the consultation process and arguing that calendar restructuring fails to address core educational problems.
ACT chairman Ruby Bernardo stated, "The school calendar is not the source of the country's education problems. Rather, the problems are lack of classrooms and books and low teachers' salaries."
The group has called for halting implementation and conducting genuine consultations with teachers' unions, emphasizing that without adequate resources and addressing student hunger, educational quality will remain poor regardless of calendar changes.
Meanwhile, the Teachers' Dignity Coalition has taken a more measured approach, acknowledging potential benefits while emphasizing the need for proper implementation.
"This reform must be pursued with clear planning, sufficient support and the meaningful participation of those on the ground," the coalition stated. "Above all, we emphasize that any reform must uphold and protect the rights, welfare and dignity of teachers."
DepEd's Response and Implementation Plans
DepEd officials defended the policy shift, stating that "the shift from four quarters to three terms significantly streamlines grading cycles and reduces reporting peaks, easing administrative burden and allowing educators to concentrate on what matters most—effective instruction."
The department claims to have conducted "a rigorous, multistage consultation process" involving students, teachers, school leaders, parents, and legislative bodies before finalizing the calendar change. They also emphasized that this reform represents just one component of broader educational improvements.
"Our complementary initiatives include accelerated classroom construction, expanded school-based feeding and strengthened nutrition programs, intensified literacy interventions, provision of textbooks for all learners, and a refined inter-agency policy on class suspensions," DepEd explained.
Teacher training for the trimester system will commence after Holy Week, with modules and learning materials to be prepared before classes begin, though specific dates remain unspecified.
Implementation Challenges Ahead
Education experts have raised concerns about the transition timeline. University of the Philippines professor Lizamarie Olegario warned during a Senate hearing that "a trimester shift, if poorly implemented, may introduce major disruptions across curriculum pacing, assessment schedules, materials, reporting systems and school operations."
With only two months remaining before the trimester system's June implementation, questions linger about whether adequate preparation and genuine stakeholder consultation will occur before this significant educational transformation takes effect.