DAVAO CITY(February 19) — “Teachers and students are not lab rats.” That’s the warning from the Alliance of Concerned Teachers–Davao City (ACT-Davao) over the Department of Education’s proposal to shift from a four-quarter to a trimester school calendar.
Chairperson Reynaldo Pardillo said the government should focus on urgent problems first: classroom shortages, low and non-livable salaries, overworked teachers, faulty textbooks, and hungry students. Simply reshuffling the school year, he said, will not solve these systemic issues.
“Agendas that did not go through surveys make it harder for teachers and students,” Pardillo stressed, criticizing the lack of consultation with teachers, unions, and education workers before the proposal was announced.
DepEd-Davao spokesperson Jenielito “Dodong” Atillo said the plan, still pending approval by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., aims to provide longer, uninterrupted learning periods and reduce administrative burdens. He emphasized it would not cut school days or subjects.
ACT-Davao, however, warns that without proper preparation, funding, and teacher support, the shift risks adding stress rather than easing it.
For many teachers in Davao, the debate is about more than calendars — it’s about whether reforms will address real classroom needs or just reshuffle an already overburdened system.
