As classes enter their second week, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines) said the opening of School Year 2026–2027 has exposed a widening gap between the Department of Education’s (Department of Education (DepEd) promised reforms and the day-to-day realities in public schools.

ACT Chairperson Ruby Bernardo said teachers have struggled to adjust to the changes in the first week alone, citing rushed implementation and insufficient preparation.

“Isang linggo pa lang ay lupaypay na ang mga guro sa pag-angkop sa bagong sistema,” Bernardo said, adding that teachers have yet to feel improvements in support systems, workload reduction, and consultation processes.

She described the rollout of reforms as abrupt and poorly coordinated, pointing to gaps in funding, resources, and training.

The group questioned the practicality of the so-called “Opening Block,” saying the limited timeframe was not enough to complete reading assessments, determine students’ nutritional status, and accomplish other preparatory requirements that remain assigned to classroom teachers.

“These activities reflect reforms that are detached from realities on the ground and were implemented without meaningful consultation with teachers,” Bernardo said.

ACT also raised concern over the continued lack of aligned learning materials, textbooks, and teaching guides for the revised curriculum, the three-term calendar, and the ILAW framework.

Teachers, it said, have been forced to prepare lesson materials and complete reports outside working hours to compensate for gaps in implementation.

Even as reforms are rolled out, ACT said overcrowded classrooms, shortages of teachers and support staff, and inadequate learning resources remain unresolved across public schools.

The group also questioned the implementation of the government’s Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program (Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program), noting that the promised deployment of over 400,000 tutors has yet to be felt in schools.

It also cited the program’s ₱8.9-billion budget, asking why it has not yet translated into visible improvements in learning conditions.

While the Department of Education has defended the three-term school calendar as a way to improve workload management and enhance learning delivery, ACT said early implementation shows that these objectives remain largely unmet.

The group warned that unless systemic shortages are addressed, learning recovery efforts will continue to fall short despite repeated policy changes.

“Learning loss will continue, academic recovery will remain out of reach, and teachers will continue to suffer from overworked and unsupported conditions,” Bernardo said.

DepEd had attempted to address the Philippine basic education system, including classroom shortages, uneven access to learning materials, and persistent teacher workload concerns.

Education advocates have flagged that while policy reforms have been introduced in recent years, implementation gaps at the school level remain a key challenge, particularly in ensuring that funding, personnel, and learning resources reach classrooms on time and in sufficient numbers.

ACT called on DepEd to urgently address shortages in textbooks and learning materials, hire additional teaching and non-teaching personnel, ensure the effective rollout of the ARAL Program, and strengthen consultation with educators before implementing major policy shifts.

It also renewed its call for increased education funding, urging the government to raise education spending to at least 6% of GDP in line with international benchmarks.

“The opening of classes should inspire confidence that schools are ready. Instead, we see a system still struggling under unresolved shortages, rushed implementation, and top-down reforms,” Bernardo said.