Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Parents and guardians wait at the entrance of the H.J. Atienza Elementary School in Baseco, Tondo, Manila on Monday, June 8, 2026. Millions of students are projected to report to class as School Year 2026-2027 officially opens. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Francis Orcio

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1780902080556viber_image_2026-06-08_13-59-59.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Parents and guardians wait at the entrance of the H.J. Atienza Elementary School in Baseco, Tondo, Manila on Monday, June 8, 2026. Millions of students are projected to report to class as School Year 2026-2027 officially opens<em>. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The opening of classes for school year 2026–2027 at Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Elementary School on Monday proceeded in an orderly and generally smooth manner, with school officials citing strong preparation efforts under Brigada Eskwela.</p><p>School Principal Dr. Noel Gelua credited intensive preparation efforts for the smooth opening of classes.</p><p>“Napakasaya po namin. Nakita niyo naman napakaayos ng opening ng aming klase. Walang gaanong naging problema. At naging masunurin lahat... Handa ang mga learners natin na makinig at mag-aral,” Gelua said.</p><p>Dr. Gelua said the school’s preparedness was anchored on Brigada Eskwela activities, focusing primarily on classroom organization and readiness rather than infrastructure expansion.</p><p>He noted that the school continues to manage a large student population of approximately 5,000 to 5,400 learners through a double-shift system, a mechanism used to address classroom congestion in urban schools.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>OFFICIAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THREE-TERM CALENDAR</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>The school is implementing the Department of Education’s three-term school calendar, which divides the academic year into an opening block for orientation and assessment, an instructional block, and an end-of-term block for activities and grading.</p><p>Teacher Marites Baniqued, however, acknowledged that full understanding among parents is still developing as formal orientations are still being completed during the opening week.</p><p>“Nakikita naman po nila sa YouTube at aware sila. And then actually meron kami activity this week, naka-schedule na po ang aming parent orientation at ‘yan po ang highlight namin na i-inform ang mga magulang about the three-term school calendar,” Baniqued explained.</p><p>Baniqued also noted that awareness of the new system remains uneven, especially among working parents who were unable to attend early orientations.</p><p>“Somehow meron na silang background. Iyon nga lang po, hindi pa po lahat kasi iyong mga working mothers and fathers, hindi sila makapunta,” she said</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>LEARNING RECOVERY: ARAL PROGRAM</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>On learning recovery, Baniqued explained that the implementation of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning or ARAL program at their school continues to reflect uneven participation and learning recovery outcomes.</p><p>For School Year 2025–2026, Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Elementary School recorded 1,528 ARAL learners, with more than 900 learners successfully exiting the program after meeting required competencies. </p><p>The figures indicate significant improvement among a portion of identified learners, but also highlight continued need for remediation among remaining students.</p><p>The number of ARAL learners subsequently decreased to 558, reflecting learner exits and progression based on ongoing assessments.</p><p>In a separate ARAL summer implementation, 374 learners were identified, but only 84 participated. The school officials say this reflects persistent challenges in parent engagement and program participation.</p><p>A report from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) flagged the low participation rate as part of broader concerns on implementation effectiveness.</p><p>School officials admitted that more than 200 learners were still promoted despite not completing the ARAL Program, though they emphasized that continuous assessment mechanisms remain in place to determine learner readiness and identify intervention needs.</p><p>Teacher Baniqued described how struggling learners are gradually supported through structured reading interventions.</p><p>Ang mga maliliit na bata, syempre, ang ginagawa namin dyan, inaakma namin iyong level of reading na dapat ibigay sa kanila unti-unti. And then, susunod na po iyong mga comprehension,” she said.</p><p>“Mag-start kami sa mga short story. And then followed na noon ay mga tanong. So, unti-unti namin ipinapaunawa sa kanila kung ano iyong binabasa nila. Mula sa grade 1, for example, mag-uumpisa yan sa mga sounds,” she added.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS REMAIN&#x27;</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>This perspective was echoed by ACT Teachers party-list Representative Antonio Tinio, who said that while school openings appear orderly, they continue to rest on long-standing structural weaknesses in the education system.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/27/decades-old-plight-newer-challenge">Decades-old plight, newer challenges loom as Philippines enters new school year</a></div><p>He said the smooth start of classes is largely the result of extensive preparation by teachers and school heads, rather than systemic improvement.</p><p>“Nakita naman natin dito sa particular na school na ito, ay nagbunga iyong halos dalawang linggong paghahanda do’n sa Brigada Eskwela. Iyong halos isang buwan na paghahanda para sa three-term school calendar as far as iyong mga teachers are concerned... Nevertheless, nanatili pa rin yung mga long-standing problems,” Tinio said.</p><p>Tinio pointed to continuing systemic issues such as classroom shortages, teacher scarcity, and heavy workloads that remain unresolved despite reforms.</p><p>“Iyong mga kakulangan ng teacher, classroom, sa kabuuan. Tapos ngayon, ang isang concern natin, iyong napakaraming klase, iyong loading ng mga teachers. Kung titingnan natin ang mga schedules, pito hanggang walo, kasama iyong ARAL program, ang kailangang iturong subject sa isang araw ng maraming mga teacher,” he said.</p><p>He cited the reported P8.9 billion budget allocation intended for external tutors for the ARAL program, which he said has not been fully realized in practice.</p><p>Tinio also raised concerns that despite intervention programs, learning outcomes remain weak, suggesting that informal “mass promotion” continues as schools attempt to avoid system bottlenecks.</p><p>“Malungkot kung ganyan ang mga reports na ganyan na kahit sa ARAL program, pinapasa pa rin. So, in other words, iyong mass promotion, nangyayari pa rin. So, ang problema talaga ay iyong buong sistema ang kailangan tingnan dito, dahil natutulak, napipilit ang lahat na magpasa,” he said.</p><p>He emphasized that deeper reforms are needed, including higher teacher salaries, reduced teaching loads, and fewer administrative requirements that continue to pull teachers away from instruction.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qw3wFQ1pf1w?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dRdB__dR2Ws?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5VOGug57Q0g?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>A lawmaker pointed to continuing systemic issues such as classroom shortages, teacher scarcity, and heavy workloads that remain unresolved despite reforms.</p>

A lawmaker pointed to continuing systemic issues such as classroom shortages, teacher scarcity, and heavy workloads that remain unresolved despite reforms.

As new school year opens, familiar problems in workload, learning gaps remain

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As new school year opens, familiar problems in workload, learning gaps remain

Francis Orcio,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 08, 2026 03:13 PM PHT

Read More:

DepEd

School Opening

Education

Department of Education

Three-term School Calendar

ARAL Program

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