It is part of its reforms, the agency’s chief told.
On Friday, February 13, the Department of Education (DepEd) announced that it is pushing for reforms in the school calendar, which include the proposed transition to the trimester system.
This, it said, is part of a “holistic approach” to ensure proper distribution of time covering academic, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities.
According to Education Secretary Sonny Angara, the proposal aims to have longer and more flexible teaching periods, reduce teachers’ workload, and increase the quality of teaching through a more streamlined organization of the school year.
Under the proposed system, the school year will be divided into three academic terms with longer periods for instruction and enrichment activities—ensuring continuous coverage of lessons without frequent cladd interruptions.
In the proposed school calendar for School Year 2026–2027, for example, there shall be 201 school days that will be divided into three terms.
In each term, there will be an “instructional block” (54–61 days) focused on quality and continuous teaching and learning, with minimal interruption from non-academic activities.
There will also be an “enrichment block” dedicated to remediation and enrichment, computing grades, preparing and checking school forms, and wellness breaks, among others.
For the first term only, there will be an opening block for activities to open the school year.
Scheduled breaks between terms to give teachers time for lesson planning, evaluation of outputs, and other professional tasks that will help in more effective teaching.
Based on the proposed calendar framework, classes will begin with begin with the first trimester in early June until September. After which, it will be the second trimester from September to December, while the third trimester will run from January to late March.
He said, “Itinutulak natin ito upang magkaroon ng mas mahahabang, tuloy-tuloy na panahon ng pagkatuto, mas maayos na pacing ng mga aralin, at mas mababang administrative burden para sa ating mga guro,” adding it is based on the findings of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2).
Meanwhile, “low-disruption alternatives” are also being promoted, where designated celebrations and observances are integrated into lessons instead of conducting separate programs that disrupt class.
DepEd data shows that the current school calendar results in short instructional time as schools have to accommodate numerous mandatory observances, reporting requirements, and administrative tasks—disrupting the flow of lessons and, in effect, increases the workload of teachers.
Cited as example are national and cultural celebrations, which the department said can be integrated into reading materials, writing exercises, science discussions, and project-based learning.
There can be shorter in-class reflection activities, thematic discussions, or curriculum-linked projects may also be conducted instead of whole-day events that suspend academic instruction.
Through this practice, they said, students can learn about important topics while regular classes continue.
They will issue formal policy guidelines regarding the trimester calendar after consultation with teachers, school leaders, and other education stakeholders, the education department added.