The Department of Education (DepEd) in Bicol expects the three-term school calendar to strengthen learning strategies by providing longer, more continuous periods for classroom instruction and reducing disruptions to teaching.

Dr. Grace Rabelas, chief education supervisor of DepEd Bicol’s Curriculum and Learning Management Division, said the policy transition naturally requires adjustments, but based on initial assessments, schools have begun to appreciate the more organized schedule.

The new calendar took effect at the start of School Year 2026-2027, and schools, teachers, and learners are adjusting to the revised academic schedule.

“So far, many have appreciated the more organized school calendar, where academic and non-academic activities no longer overlap,” Rabelas said in an interview.

She said the three-term system sets aside periods for classroom instruction, administrative work, report preparation, grade computation, remediation under the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) program, and learner wellness activities.

Under the previous arrangement, academic and non-academic activities could overlap, pulling teachers out of classes for seminars, workshops, contests, and other events.

Rabelas said the revised schedule is intended to help teachers focus on instruction while giving them time for other school-related responsibilities.

She said the first term’s 51-day instructional block has proceeded with relatively few class suspensions, allowing schools to sustain classroom instruction despite unavoidable disruptions.

“For the students, we hope their grades will improve because teachers have more time to teach. What we want to find out is whether continuous teaching without disruptions will produce better results. That is what we are looking forward to,” Rabelas said.

DepEd Bicol is currently monitoring how schools implement and comply with the policy, along with their questions, concerns, and experiences as they adjust to the new calendar.

Meanwhile, DepEd-Bicol Regional Director Gilbert Sadsad clarified that shifting from four quarters to three terms does not mean teachers have fewer days to teach their subjects.

“Instead of shortening the period, we actually made the terms longer, so teachers have more days to teach the subject,” Sadsad said.

He said the longer terms are intended to give teachers more time to deliver the required competencies while helping DepEd minimize disruptions from the beginning to the end of each term.

Some non-academic activities, however, are being held on weekends as schools adjust to the new calendar, including division-level academic competitions and school press conferences scheduled near the end of each term.

Regional activities are also scheduled near the end of the second term. (PNA)