SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday stressed that the Department of Education’s three-term calendar is expected to give additional support to struggling students by allocating more time for remediation.

“Given our current challenges in reading and math, remediation is crucial. In the past, there was no structured remediation, so this is a significant improvement. I support it because it promises to focus on remediation,” said Gatchalian, Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.

A series of orientations involving teachers, school leaders, and education stakeholders are scheduled this April.

The new calendar, set to roll out with the opening of School Year 2026-2027, divides the academic calendar into three structured terms, which, in turn, are divided into different blocks.

Each term will have an instructional block dedicated to uninterrupted teaching and learning, and an end of term block for academic intervention, professional development, and wellness break for teachers and learners.

The first term will also have an opening block for learner profiling and administrative preparations.

Gatchalian said that adding more time for remediation is also consistent with the implementation of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning or ARALProgram, which received P8.9 billion-budget under the 2026 national budget.