House Committee on Education Chairperson Rep. Roman Romulo emphasized the need to closely monitor the implementation of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) proposed three-term school calendar, stressing that the minimum requirement of 180 school days must still be maintained.
During an exclusive interview on DZRH's Isyung Pambayan, Romulo clarified that the overall length of the academic year will remain unchanged despite the shift from four academic quarters to three semesters.
According to Romulo, the new setup divides the school year into “beginning blocks” for administrative tasks, “instructional days” dedicated to classroom learning, and “end blocks” for teachers’ administrative work.
“Well, ang paglipat from four quarters to three semesters, pareho pa rin po yung magiging length ng class days. Meaning, talaga nakalagay naman sa mga DepEd orders, dapat may minimum of 180 days,” Romulo explained.
He said the first week of every semester will serve as a “beginning block,” where teachers and students will focus on enrollment validation, orientation, and administrative requirements instead of classroom instruction.
Romulo added that actual teaching is expected to begin during the second week, with around 55 to 56 straight instructional days per semester.
“For 55 or 56 days, dapat nasa loob ng classroom ang bawat studyante, ang teacher nasa loob ng classroom rin, at may lesson plan na tinuturo,” he said.
The lawmaker also noted that the “end block” of each semester will be allotted for administrative duties of teachers, while two-week breaks between semesters will be used for DepEd-related activities such as Palarong Pambansa eliminations, National Festival of Talents activities, and school press conferences.
Romulo said the proposed structure could result in around 165 to 170 days of uninterrupted classroom instruction if properly implemented.
“So theoretically, kung mai-implement nang tama, meron tayong masasabi na almost 165 to 170 days na talagang purely nasa classroom yung bata at yung teacher at may lesson plan na tinuturo. Yun naman po yung gusto nila. At maganda po yun,” he stated.
However, Romulo stressed that the success of the program will ultimately depend on proper implementation and oversight.
“Iba po yung maganda yung layunin. Tulungan po natin ang DepEd. Bantayan rin po natin dahil yung implementation po ang importante rito,” he added.
