ILOILO City – A proposal now circulating in education circles suggests that the Department of Education may adopt a trimester scheme for School Year 2026–2027, replacing the usual two-semester format with three academic terms totaling 201 class days.
The draft calendar, shared by education-focused platform DepEd Tambayan, outlines a restructured school year broken into three terms, each capped by a two-week enrichment period.
Based on the proposal, Term 1 would open on June 8, 2026 and cover 69 class days. The initial days from June 8 to 11 are designated as an opening block, followed by regular instruction from June 15 until Sept. 1. A two-week enrichment phase would then run from Sept. 2 to 15, marking the end of the first term.
Term 2 is scheduled to begin on Sept. 16, 2026 and span 65 class days. Instruction would continue until Dec. 4, after which schools would conduct enrichment activities from Dec. 7 to 18. The second term would formally close on Dec. 18.
Term 3, consisting of 67 class days, would start on Jan. 4, 2027. Classes are set from Jan. 4 to March 23, followed by enrichment sessions from March 24 to April 8. The academic year would conclude on April 8, 2027.
The proposed calendar also indicates an end-of-school-year break from April 9 to May 9, 2027.
The enrichment blocks are intended to provide time for remediation, advanced lessons, performance assessments and other focused academic activities at the close of each term.
While the calendar has been widely shared online, no official department order has yet been issued by the Department of Education confirming its implementation./PN
