DepEd chief pushes trimestral system for public schools
The Department of Education (DepEd) is considering a shift to a trimestral system in public schools to address longtime complaints about teachers being overburdened by nonteaching tasks and help learners keep up with their lessons.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara presented the proposal in a statement on Friday, saying it was aimed at “allowing longer and more flexible instructional periods, reducing teacher workload, and promoting higher-quality instruction through improved organization of the academic year.”
He said the new setup would address some of the recommendations made by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2).
Formed in July 2022, the commission conducted a review of the public school system in response to the poor performance of Filipino students in international diagnostic tests. It released its final report last month.
“In this way, we will be able to protect the quality of education,” Angara said.
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), however, remained skeptical, saying the change could actually “add to the burden” of teachers.
“Here we go again with policies that we were not even consulted about,” said ACT chair Ruby Bernardo.
According to Bernardo, a trimestral system would force teachers to cram lessons intended for four periods into just three.
“The pacing would be fast, and of course this will be stressful for both learners and teachers,” she said.
‘Hasty decision’
Bernardo warned against rushing the implementation of the shift without weighing the drastic changes it will make in the grading systems and other criteria applied in classes.
“We’re not sure if the DepEd can even pull this off because, as I have said, this is yet again another of their hasty decisions that will just burden teachers,” she said.
Under the DepEd’s proposal, the school year will be divided into three academic terms “with longer instructional enrichment blocks, enabling teachers to sustain lesson delivery without frequent interruptions.”
The proposed trimester calendar is being considered for implementation starting school year 2026-2027. It will consist of 201 school days distributed across the three terms.
Classes will open in early June, according to Angara, with the first trimester running from June to September and followed by the second trimester from September to December. The third trimester will be from January until late March.
Blocks
Each term will provide “longer uninterrupted teaching periods” and this will even allow “better pacing” of class lessons, he said.
“Scheduled breaks between terms will also provide teachers with time for planning, assessment and professional tasks, helping improve overall instructional delivery,” Angara added.
Each term, he said, will serve as an “instructional block” from 54 to 61 days dedicated to quality teaching and learning time, but with “minimal disruption” due to nonacademic activities. It will also include a so-called enrichment block allotted for remediation and enrichment activities for learners, grade computation, preparation and checking of school forms, and a wellness break.
An “opening block,” meanwhile, will also be implemented for Term 1 and only for the opening of school year activities, Angara said.
In a message to the Inquirer, he said the proposal will cover all public schools in all levels nationwide, while private schools “can do their own schedule.”
“[This is to give] more time for continuous and deep learning [and] time also for assessments and training of teachers,” Angara told the Inquirer.
The proposal had already undergone initial consultations, as part of the DepEd’s general policy, while details and refinement of the proposal “will follow” after they receive further feedback from education stakeholders, he added.
Angara’s proposal also includes the promotion of the so-called low-disruption alternatives, wherein mandated celebrations and observances in a school year will be integrated into classroom instruction instead of requiring separate programs that may just interrupt ongoing lessons.
Incorporating programs
The Edcom had raised concerns about school days being reduced due to cocurricular activities, such as the Palarong Pambansa and the National Schools Press Conference, resulting in fewer school days contrary to the intended number of school days where teachers can maximize lessons for learners.
Angara cited as an example incorporating national and cultural observances into reading materials, writing exercises, science discussions and project-based learning.
This will allow students to engage more with civic themes without missing out on their regular lessons in classrooms.
Public schools can also decide on whether they should conduct shorter in-class reflection activities, thematic discussions or curriculum-linked projects rather than holding whole-day events that would disrupt lessons, he said.
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