K TO 12 students may soon face a major academic shift as President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. approved the proposed three-term school calendar for public schools beginning in June 2026.
According to the Malacañan, this came from the recommendation of the Economic and Development Council meeting last March 19 to “address the long-standing issue of compressed learning periods caused by class suspensions due to natural hazards and overlapping major events.”
Under the new academic plan, from the four-quarter grading periods, the school year will now be divided into three. The first term will be from June to September with 54 instructional days and 10 assessment days, the second term will be from September to December with 55 instructional days and another 10 assessment days, and the third term will be from January to March with 61 instructional days and a shorter six assessment days.
The Department of Education (DepEd) supports this, saying that by restructuring the school calendar, students will have longer and uninterrupted class days. This, authorities say, will improve the pacing of learning, as well as lessen the workload of teachers.
“The shift from four quarters to three terms significantly streamlines grading cycles and reduces reporting peaks, easing administrative burden and allowing educators to concentrate on what matters most — effective instruction,” DepEd said in a statement.
While there has been no pilot testing for the three-term school calendar, Malacañan assured that consultations with educational stakeholders were made and are still being done.
However, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Party-list claims that no teachers were actually consulted regarding the new school calendar, calling the decision half-baked.
“Together with the ongoing changes in the K to 10 as well as the Senior High School curriculum, this is yet another major disruption that teachers are expected to implement and learners will be subjected to without adequate preparation and resources,” said ACT Teachers Party-list Representative Antonio Tinio.
The group further said that the main problems of the education sector — shortage of classrooms, teachers, and learning resources — remain unsolved despite the new school calendar.
Meanwhile, Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) sees the practical solutions offered by the three-term school calendar, “including lost school days due to disruptions, the non-completion of lessons in the final weeks of the school year, and the need to provide time for meaningful co-curricular and extra-curricular activities for learners and the mandated celebrations.”
Nevertheless, TDC also emphasizes the need for ample preparation before implementing the shift. According to the group, the must first be pilot testing, “sustained and genuine” consultations, and “calibration of school forms—preferably through a more efficient and teacher-friendly digital system,” as well as the much-needed teaching and learning materials.
“This reform must be pursued with clear planning, sufficient support, and the meaningful participation of those on the ground. Above all, we emphasize that any reform must uphold and protect the rights, welfare, and dignity of teachers,” TDC said in a statement.
Why the shift matters
Beyond changing the academic timetable, the proposed three-term school calendar may have significant effects on students, teachers, and the education system itself.
For learners, shifting from a four-quarter grading period to trimester setup may mean fewer opportunities to recover from poor academic performance within the school year, since each grading period will carry more weight. On the flip side, since each grading term will be longer, it will give students more time to learn that may perhaps help them fully understand the lessons.
For teachers, the new structure could reduce administrative work but may also require adjustments in lesson planning, grading systems, and classroom scheduling. Teacher groups have emphasized that without adequate preparation and resources, the shift could create additional pressure rather than reduce workload.
In the larger scheme of things, education experts note that the new academic calendar should just be a part of a more elaborate plan to address the deeper issues in the education sector. Restructuring the school calendar does not resolve classroom shortages nor teacher understaffing.
With the K-12 curriculum still undergoing reforms and facing gaps, a deeper question remains: what is the government’s commitment to provide a long-term sustainable plan for the country’s education system that will truly benefit Filipino learners and make them at par with their international counterparts?