Approved DepEd trimester plan lacks preparedness, says teachers’ groups

Teachers’ groups on Friday criticized the preparedness and implementation of the trimester plan for the school year (SY) 2026-2027, following its approval from the Economy and Development (ED) Council.

“It was already mentioned that this needed consultations, but in the end, it was still approved hastily,” Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Chairperson Ruby Bernardo said in Filipino in a statement on Friday.

“The responsibility of patching together a policy that lacks preparation should not be passed down again to those on the grounds,” she added.

The ED Council, during its 8th meeting chaired by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., has approved the three-term school calendar of the Department of Education (DepEd) on Thursday.

This policy is seen as a “critical step towards improving the country’s education outcomes”, according to the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev).

“Our commitment to developing a globally competitive workforce begins with providing evidence-based solutions to bridge educational gaps in our country,” said DEPDev Secretary and ED Council Vice-Chair Arsenio M. Balisacan in a statement.

“We commend DepEd (Department of Education) for continuously pursuing initiatives that support critical development priorities,” he added.

DEPDev noted that the policy pushes for learning continuity, mitigating class disruptions caused by natural calamities, celebrations, and observances.

Data from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) revealed that 53 teaching days were lost in SY 2023-2024 due to calamities, holidays, non-teaching tasks, and activities.

“By shifting from a four-grading-period system to a three-grading-period system, students will benefit from longer, uninterrupted instructional blocks, stabilizing their learning pace and recovery each term,” DEPDev said in a statement.

However, ACT called the decision a “rushed top-down reform”.

The group urged the DepEd to halt its implementation and conduct genuine consultations with teachers’ unions and education stakeholders.

The new policy was also compared to the K to 12, underscoring the lack of preparedness during its implementation.

“It will surely fail, and those of us in the schools will be left to improvise and make up for all the shortcomings,” Ms. Bernardo said. “And when it fails, we will be the ones to be blamed again.”

For its part, the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) underscored that pilot testing must be conducted before the nationwide rollout of the new school calendar.

“We are hopeful that there will be deeper and broader discussions with the stakeholders,” TDC National Chairperson Benjo G. Basas said in Filipino in a video statement on Friday.

“We hope that before they implement it, there will be a pilot in one region, as we need to calibrate many aspects, including forms and material,” he added.

Under the proposed trimester system, the school year will be divided into three terms. Each term consists of an opening block, the instructional block, and the enrichment block.

The opening block, or the first week of classes in the first term, will focus on orientation and assessments.

Each term will have an instructional block that lasts 54 to 61 days, followed by a two-week enrichment block for remediation and enrichment, grades computation, checking, and preparation of school forms, and a wellness break.

The first term will run from June to September, the second from September to December, and the third from January to March. — Almira Louise S. Martinez