The implementation of the three-term school calendar will proceed beginning this school year amid calls from teachers’ groups to postpone it.
The total enrollment for School Year (SY) 2026-2027 is expected to reach 26 to 28 million as classes begin on June 8, the Department of Education (DepEd) said on Saturday, May 30.
In an interview with dzBB, DepEd Assistant Secretary for Operations Jocelyn Andaya said the directive of President Marcos and Education Secretary Sonny Angara is to ensure the readiness of schools in time for school opening.
“We started early enrollment this January and it is ongoing because we have noticed that some of our students are just enrolling now or have yet to enroll,” Andaya said.
The implementation of the three-term school calendar will proceed beginning this school year amid calls from teachers’ groups to postpone it.
“There will be additional orientation, as well as for children and parents in the opening bloc so that we can make our students and parents understand that the three-term calendar is part of our broader reform agenda, meaning we want to make sure that it is not just a quick fix,” Andaya said.
“The three-term school calendar will be implemented. Private schools will have flexibility in implementing the three-term calendar,” she added.
The number of school days will remain at 202 days despite the implementation of the three-term scheme.
The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition has said that it is “not too late” to defer the new academic setup as teachers and school heads still have unanswered questions regarding the new academic setup and the full rollout of the revised senior high school curriculum.
Andaya added that the DepEd estimates over one million teaching and non-teaching personnel, giving assurance there will be enough teachers for this school year.
The DepEd has also placed the classroom backlog at 136,000, she said.
Andaya said the Department of Public Works and Highways vowed to deliver at least 9,000 classrooms this year.
“This includes new projects and backlogs left over from last year. We also encourage large construction firms to participate so that our schools can be built faster, stronger and of higher quality,” she said.
She said DepEd also continues to procure new books to ensure a 1:1 ratio for learners.
“Last year, we delivered some but they were not yet complete, and this year we are speeding up the procurement and while the children still don’t have books, we have what are called supplementary learning materials and lesson activity sheets to address the book shortage,” she said.
The new books are expected to be delivered in July.