WATCH LIVE: The Senate committee on basic education is conducting an inquiry on Tuesday, March 3, into the Department of Education’s proposed switch to a trimester system, and on the current state of literacy in the Philippines. https://www.rappler.com/philippines/video-senate-hearing-trimester-system-literacy-department-education-march-3-2026/

DepEd’s Three-term School Calendar structure

The Department of Education shows its proposed structure for the Three-term School Calendar during the Senate hearing on basic education on Tuesday, March 3.

In crafting the school calendar, Senator Bam Aquino asks the DepEd to take into account days lost to class suspensions because of extreme weather and other reasons, and to have a contingency plan to ensure at least 180 school days. "Kung ang tanong, days of instruction or break, I would prefer that we have days of instruction," Aquino says.

In case of disasters disrupting the school year, Senator Bam Aquino suggests extending the school calendar until there is a total of 180 school days, which TDC national chairperson Benjo Basas called 'non-negotiable' learning days.

A key suggestion during the Senate hearing earlier was to extend the school calendar until it reaches the minimum of 180 days, in case too much learning time is lost due to disasters. 

More than that, experts weigh in on how the DepEd’s trimester system plan will work in the Philippine education setup. Read more: https://www.rappler.com/philippines/department-education-urged-ensure-minimum-school-days-trimester-proposal/ @here

A total of 3,611 out of 8,162 examinees passed the Nurses Licensure Examination. Congratulations! @here https://www.rappler.com/bulletin-board/examination-results/nurses-licensure-february-2026/

DepEd to establish national research center for teacher education

The Department of Education, through the Teacher Education Council, is set to establish a Teacher Education Excellence Center (TEEC) following the formalization of a joint circular with the Department of Budget and Management on Monday, March 9.

The TEEC will serve as a “research center, innovation hub, and laboratory for teacher education” that aims to develop training models and resources to improve learning and teaching outcomes.

Teachers, teacher educators, child development workers, tutors, and others are the targets of the center’s creation.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said in a press release, “We’re really looking forward to this [TEEC] initiative because education is undergoing great change, in a time of artificial intelligence, in a time of reform, in a time of self-examination for the Philippine education systems, and a time of crucial reforms.”

The TEEC will start with partner schools from various regions of the Philippines to contextualize the current teacher education data, specifically in:

- Philippine Normal University-Manila (NCR)

- University of the Philippines-Los Baños (South Luzon)

- University of San Carlos (Visayas)

- Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (Northern Mindanao)

- Caraga State University (Eastern Mindanao)

- Cotabato State University (BARMM)

(Photos from the Teacher Education Council) @here

Students, faculty, and staff from the University of the Philippines Baguio evacuate due to a suspected bomb threat on Wednesday, March 11, as announced by the university’s administrators. | via Joem Thayer/Rappler

A total of 7,838 out of 9,317 examinees passed the Medical Technologists Licensure Examination. Congratulations! https://www.rappler.com/bulletin-board/examination-results/medical-technologists-licensure-march-2026/ @here

A total of 30,320 out of 45,936 examinees passed the February 2026 Licensure Examination for Criminologists. Congratulations! @here https://www.rappler.com/bulletin-board/examination-results/criminologists-licensure-february-2026/

This is a space where you can get updates on education in the Philippines and discuss ways to address the country's longstanding education crisis. If you're a student, teacher, educator, or just a concerned citizen, you're most welcome to share your thoughts and let us know what we should be covering.

Is there a way to discuss the need to transfer the class advisory task (homeroom adviser) from teachers to other school personnel, which may be a new item to be offered by DepEd? The task is equivalent to one teaching load, but it's way heavier than a regular class and requires the teacher to perform in ways that often interfere with actual teaching, like when the section is a teacher's advisory class.