DepEd: Trimester calendar up to private schoolsStudents line up to enter Araullo High School in Manila on January 15, 2024. MANILA, Philippines — Private schools are free to have their own calendar structures, according to Education Secretary Sonny Angara, amid the statement of the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) that private schools are not required to adopt the three-term school calendar. “Private schools are not really covered. The DepEd (Department of Education) graduation is on March 30 and 31, private schools don’t, others in May, in June, so private schools are really more flexible,” Angara said in a chance interview in Quezon City. COCOPEA managing director Joseph Noel Estrada said that while some private schools are implementing the scheme, a law is necessary to cover all schools offering basic education.

Source: Philippine Star March 26, 2026 19:01 UTC