The approved shift to a trimester system in basic education, as proposed by the Department of Education (DepEd) beginning School Year (SY) 2026–2027, has triggered a wider debate: Can changing the Philippine school calendar improve learning outcomes, or does it overlook deeper systemic issues such as classroom shortages, underfunding, and teacher workload?

The shift to a three-term school calendar, approved by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on March 19, is set to replace the current four-quarter structure with a three-term academic calendar while maintaining 201 school days.

With the rollout slated for School Year (SY) 2026–2027, teachers are questioning whether the change in the school calendar addresses core challenges in Philippine education, including shortages, underfunding, and systemic gaps.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), in a March 20 statement, strongly opposed the reform, calling it a “rushed, top-down policy” that ignores fundamental problems in education.

“Sinabi na kailangan ng konsultasyon, pero sa dulo, ipinatupad pa rin nang minamadali (They said consultation was needed, but in the end, it was still implemented hastily),” said ACT Chairperson Ruby Bernardo. “Nasaan ang boses ng karaniwang guro sa desisyong ito? (Where is the voice of the ordinary teacher in this decision?),” she added.

The group argued that the calendar is not the core issue.

“Hindi kalendaryo ang ugat ng krisis sa edukasyon. Kahit anong ayos ng school calendar, kung kulang ang silid-aralan, guro, at pasilidad, at kung gutom ang mga estudyante, mananatiling atrasado ang kalidad ng edukasyon (The school calendar is not the root of the education crisis. No matter how the calendar is arranged, if classrooms, teachers, and facilities are lacking, and if students are hungry, the quality of education will remain poor),” she added.

ACT cited long-standing issues, including classroom shortages, low teacher pay, heavy workloads, and a lack of materials and facilities.

The group also raised concerns over limited consultation, the absence of supporting studies, and possible additional burdens on teachers.

“Kung may sapat na batayan ang ganitong malaking pagbabago, dapat malinaw itong inilalatag at sinusuri kasama ang mga guro (If such a major change has sufficient basis, it should be clearly laid out and examined together with teachers),” Bernardo said.

“Hindi puwedeng ipasa na naman sa ibaba ang responsibilidad na pagtagpi-tagpiin ang isang polisiyang kulang sa paghahanda (It cannot simply be passed down to the grassroots, leaving them to patch up a policy that lacks preparation),” she added.

In February, DepEd announced its proposed shift to a three-term school calendar.

This, DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said, is “part of a holistic approach to strategic curriculum implementation by distributing learning blocks for academic, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities.”

The new calendar features three academic terms. Based on the proposed trimester school calendar as of February, classes will open in June.

Under the three-term system, first trimester will run from June to September; the second trimester will cover September to December while the third trimester will run from January until late March.

Each term includes 54–61 instructional days, along with enrichment blocks for remediation, grading, and planning.

Term breaks are also intended to help ease teacher fatigue.

The plan also considers reverting to June school openings and aligning national observances to reduce disruptions.

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Angara said the reform aims to “reduce lesson compression, improve instructional continuity, ease teacher workloads, and provide time for training and student development.”

“Yung trimester system, mas maraming oras iyan para sa ating mga guro na magturo, hindi sila overburdened (With the trimester system, teachers have more time to teach and are not overburdened),” Angara explained in an earlier interview.

The proposed policy, he added, also seeks to address climate disruptions and recurring learning losses under the current calendar.

“Dito sa four quarters natin, palagi na lang naghahabol, laging may exam, at alam naman natin na maraming bagyo at events, kaya parang habol nang habol (In our four-quarter setup, there is always a rush, with frequent exams, and since we know there are many typhoons and events, it feels like we are always catching up),” Angara added.

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For ACT, the policy debate recalls past education reforms.

The group compared the three-term shift to programs like K to 12 Program, where gaps in planning and resources led to implementation challenges.

“Ang mga ganitong polisiya na minadali kagaya na lamang ng K to 12, tiyak na papalpak at kaming mga nasa eskwelahan na naman ang mag-iimbento ng paraan at sasalo sa lahat ng kakulangan (Policies rushed like K to 12 are bound to fail, and once again, those in schools will have to find ways to cope and absorb all the shortcomings),” Bernardo said.

ACT cited risks such as rapid changes in lesson plans, new assessment demands without adequate training, and schools being forced to improvise.

For the group, the move reflects a technocratic approach—treating education challenges as scheduling and efficiency issues rather than addressing deeper inequalities and resource constraints.

“At matindi pa, sa pagpalpak nito, kami na naman ang may kasalanan (Worse, when these failures happen, we are the ones blamed),” Bernardo lamented.

From a policy perspective, the trimester model could allow longer teaching periods, better pacing, fewer exam disruptions, and more time for remediation.

Angara noted that the proposal aims to “allow longer, more flexible instructional periods, reduce teacher workload, and promote higher-quality instruction through improved organization of the academic year.”

However, critics like ACT argued that these benefits depend on effective implementation.

For ACT, success requires sufficient teachers, adequate classrooms, and strong administrative support.

Without these, the group warned that the impact on learning may be limited.

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The debate ultimately centers on procedural versus structural reform.

Procedural reform focuses on adjusting systems and processes, such as the school calendar. Structural reform addresses root issues, including teacher hiring and classroom construction.

ACT argued that the government is prioritizing procedural changes while structural gaps remain unresolved.

“Habang pinipilit i-repackage ang sistema, nananatiling hindi tinutugunan ang mababang sahod, kakulangan sa pondo, at lumalalang kondisyon sa mga paaralan (While the system is being repackaged, low wages, lack of funding, and worsening school conditions remain unaddressed),” she added.

As of this writing, DepEd has yet to issue an official statement on the approval of its proposed three-term shift, scheduled for implementation in SY 2026–2027.  

Earlier, DepEd said that if approved, final guidelines would be issued before rollout.

ACT is calling for the suspension of the plan, broader stakeholder consultations, increased education funding, salary upgrades, and greater investment in infrastructure.

The trimester shift marks a significant reorganization of the school year.

However, ACT emphasized that the key question is whether reorganizing the calendar can address systemic issues such as shortages, underfunding, and inequality—or if it will simply become another reform that changes structure without resolving underlying problems.

“Kung gusto talagang ayusin ang edukasyon, dapat magsimula ito sa pakikinig sa mga guro, kawani, mag-aaral, at mga magulang na matagal nang nagdurusa sa mga papatinding suliranin ng sektor (If we truly want to fix education, it must begin with listening to teachers, staff, students, and parents who have long been suffering from the sector’s worsening problems),” Bernardo said.

ACT stressed that the policy's effectiveness depends less on the calendar itself and more on addressing structural issues.

“Ang pag-aayos ng edukasyon ng bansa ay nangangahulugan din ng agarang pagtugon sa mga pundamental na suliranin ng kurikulum, kakulangan sa bilang ng mga guro, kawani, paaralan, silid-aralan, at mga kagamitang panturo (Fixing the country’s education also means urgently addressing fundamental problems in the curriculum, shortages in teachers and staff, schools, classrooms, and learning materials),” Bernardo added.

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