Teachers, lawmakers clash over ‘top-down’ school calendar reform

As the Department of Education (DepEd) moves toward a new three-term school calendar for public schools, teachers’ organizations are pushing back hard — not just on the policy itself, but on how it was approved.

In a statement on Friday, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) described the approved calendar as a “rushed top-down reform,” saying it was pushed through without proper consultation with teachers and education stakeholders.

“It was already mentioned that this needed consultations, but in the end, it was still approved hastily,” ACT Chairperson Ruby Bernardo said in a statement.

She also challenged the government’s assertion that the new setup would boost student learning, noting there were no studies or any “transparent evaluation” to back the shift to a three-term calendar.

“They cannot just pass on responsibilities to implement a policy that lacks the needed preparations,” Bernardo said.

DepEd’s plan to shift from the current four-grading period system to three academic terms for the School Year (SY) 2026 to 2027 claimed that it will promote longer, uninterrupted instructional blocks and help stabilize learning. However, the reasoning has not convinced teachers’ groups.

Bernardo warned that the policy would be left to educators on the ground to make it work.

“It will surely fail ... and those of us in the schools will be left to improvise and make up for all the shortcomings,” she said.

ACT is not alone in raising concerns.

The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) also urged DepEd to conduct pilot testing before a nationwide rollout, stressing the need for “deeper and broader discussions with the stakeholders” and better calibration of learning materials.

Meanwhile, the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) described the policy as a "critical step towards improving the country’s education outcomes."

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

“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."

The ED Council, in its 8th meeting led by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. approved the Department of Education’s (DepEd) proposed three-term school calendar on Thursday, 19 March.