Senate probe sought on DepEd’s trimester proposal

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate needs to look into the Department of Education (DepEd)’s proposal to shift to a trimestral system for School Year 2026-2027, Sen. Bam Aquino said yesterday, as he warned against a rushed implementation of the policy.

Aquino, chairperson of the Senate committee on basic education, emphasized that such a major adjustment in the academic calendar requires extensive consultation with stakeholders before it is rolled out.

“Before DepEd implements the trimestral system, it is important that this undergoes extensive consultation,” Aquino said in a statement in Filipino.

“Let’s make sure to have a Senate hearing about this reform in order to study and discuss it,” he added.

While the committee on basic education supports reforms aimed at addressing the country’s learning gap and unloading teachers of non-teaching tasks, Aquino stressed that systemic changes must be scrutinized to avoid further disrupting the education sector.

“Although we do recognize the need for widespread reform, let’s make sure we go through proper consultation and not do this hastily,” he said.

DepEd recently floated the idea of a trimestral setup to potentially improve learning continuity and reduce administrative burden on teachers.

Meanwhile, Sen. Francis Pangilinan has filed a measure seeking to grant financial vouchers to students from low- and middle-income households, allowing them to enroll in private schools if public institutions in their areas are overcrowded.

Senate Bill 1841, or the Private Education Voucher Expansion (PEVE) Act, filed on Feb. 11, aims to institutionalize a unified voucher-based framework for learners from kindergarten to senior high school.

Pangilinan said the bill targets students who are forced to endure congested public classrooms or those residing in areas without nearby public schools.

“The voucher assistance shall be provided to students from middle-income families, as determined by the Philippine Statistics Authority, who attended public schools identified by the Department of Education as congested, or those living in areas with congested public schools or without a nearby public school, and who wish to enroll in private basic education schools,” the bill stated.

To ensure equity, the measure mandates that the “most vulnerable and underprivileged” students receive a higher voucher amount, the rates of which will be determined by a Basic Education Assistance Council.

If passed, the PEVE Act would establish a Bureau of Private Education under DepEd, which would oversee the program’s implementation and ensure regulatory compliance among participating private institutions.

The bill also proposes consolidating existing government assistance mechanisms into a single framework, effectively repealing certain sections of the Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act or Republic Act 8545.

Beyond student aid, the measure also provides institutional support to private schools, including teacher development programs.