More than 26 million learners, 45,000 public schools, and 900,000 teachers nationwide will open classes on June 8 under several major reforms of the Department of Education.
DepEd said the changes aim to improve learning outcomes, ease teachers’ workload, and make schools more responsive to disruptions such as typhoons, floods, extreme heat, earthquakes, and other emergencies.
Among the biggest shifts is the three-term school calendar, which replaces the old quarterly system in public schools. The new setup is meant to give schools longer and more coherent learning periods, better pacing of lessons, and more time for remediation and enrichment.
The school year will run for 201 days, with each term lasting 65 to 69 days. Term 1 will end on Sept. 15, Term 2 will run from Sept. 16 to Dec. 18, and Term 3 will be from Jan. 4 to April 8.
DepEd also simplified lesson planning through the ILAW Framework, which stands for Intentions, Learning Experience, Assessing Learning, and Ways Forward. The framework streamlines documentation, bars additional templates beyond prescribed standards, and allows the responsible use of artificial intelligence as a support tool.
A revised grading system will also take effect. Learners must now get a raw score of 70 to 72.99 to receive a passing grade of 75, compared with the previous system where a raw score of 60 could be transmuted to 75. This is part of DepEd’s shift toward a zero-based grading system by SY 2027-2028.
The Strengthened Senior High School Curriculum will also be rolled out nationwide. The revised program reduces the four previous tracks into two: Academic and Technical-Professional, or Tech-Pro. It also trims core courses from 15 to five and gives students more flexibility in choosing electives based on their interests and goals.
Public school teachers will also receive a PHP 10,000 teaching allowance under the Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act, or Republic Act No. 11997.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the reforms are meant to make teaching clearer, learning more effective, and support for teachers stronger.
“We will better ensure that children learn effectively and that our teachers receive stronger support. We implemented these reforms to make the system clearer, teaching more effective, and more responsive to the needs of students,” Angara said.
Still, some teachers’ groups have urged DepEd to pilot-test the three-term calendar first, warning that the full rollout of several reforms at once may overwhelm teachers and school heads.
DepEd said it has conducted nationwide orientations and will use feedback from schools to address issues during implementation.
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