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Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
March 23, 2026 | 11:39am
MANILA, Philippines — Public schools will shift from four grading periods to three terms starting school year 2026-2027 after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. greenlighted the change last week upon the recommendation of his economic advisers.
Under the new structure, the school calendar's total 201 days will be split into three blocks running June to September, September to December, and January to March, with each term carrying 54 to 61 instructional days, followed by an assessment or enrichment period.
"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 the overall pacing of instruction," the Presidential Communications Office said in its news release.
DepEd has not yet issued formal implementation guidelines. Classes are set to open in early June.
The calendar change is a first for DepEd, which had long implemented the four-quarter system. It also comes as schools nationwide continue to lose large chunks of the school year to disaster-related disruptions.
A study by EDCOM II and the Philippine Institute for Development Studies previously found that 53 teaching days were lost in SY 2023-2024, nearly a full quarter, mostly to typhoons, extreme heat, local holidays, and non-teaching tasks assigned to educators.
EDCOM II has separately flagged more than 150 legislated celebrations and observances that eat into classroom time each year.
Consultation concerns
Education Secretary Sonny Angara first proposed the shift on February 13.
After teachers' groups and Sen. Bam Aquino, who chairs the Senate basic education committee, questioned the lack of consultation, DepEd said on February 17 that no final decision had been made and that it was "actively conducting consultations." A Senate hearing followed on March 3. The Economic and Development Council approved the policy on March 19.
The proposal has not undergone pilot testing, a point the Palace's own statement acknowledged.
"While the proposal has not undergone pilot testing, consultations have been conducted with various educational institutions prior to its presentation," the PCO said in its statement.
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers criticized the calendar change and questioned whether teachers were adequately consulted prior to the decision.
In a statement, ACT Chairperson Ruby Bernardo said the school calendar is not the source of the country's education problems, pointing to classroom shortages, low teacher salaries, and a lack of learning materials.
The group called on DepEd to halt implementation and hold genuine consultations with teachers' unions.
The Teachers' Dignity Coalition, in a statement on Monday, did not reject the change outright. The group said the three-term system "may offer practical solutions" to lost school days, lessons left unfinished at the end of the year, and the need for regular breaks for teachers' wellbeing.
But the group said those potential gains depend on what happens before rollout, including whether there is a comprehensive pilot testing and genuine consultations with teachers.
"This reform must be pursued with clear planning, sufficient support, and the meaningful participation of those on the ground," the group said. "Above all, we emphasize that any reform must uphold and protect the rights, welfare, and dignity of teachers."
Marcos, according to the PCO release, directed DepEd to ensure the new calendar maintains the mandated 180-day contact period for teachers and students. He also told the department to align the three-term setup with the existing semestral system in senior high school.
