Group to gov’t: Help out-of-school youth, last-mile learners, teachers

MANILA, Philippines — E-Net Philippines, a civil society network for education reforms, has called on the government for a stronger support for out-of-school youth, last-mile learners (referring to students in remote areas), and teachers.

It made the request as the school year 2026-2027 is set to begin. 

The first day of classes for the new school year in public schools is scheduled on June 8, Monday.

The Department of Education (DepEd) is expecting a total number of enrollees for the school year of 2026-2027 to reach 26 million to 28 million. 

The agency will implement a three-term school calendar for public schools for the new school year.

The first term is from June 8, 2026 to September 15, 2026; second term from September 16, 2026 to December 18, 2026; and third term from January 4, 2027 to April 8, 2027.

READ: Marcos approves trimestral calendar for public schools

While E-Net Philippines acknowledged the new reforms made by the agency, such as the three-term school calendar, revised grading system, flexible learning programs and other measures, it also asked: “Will these reforms reach the learners who have been left behind?”

The group said that the education crisis in the country can also be seen in the state of the out-of-school youth, learners struggling to read and write, overworked teachers, and lack of educational facilities in many communities. 

It also said that alternative learning system (ALS) and lifelong learning must be considered as major education reforms, pointing out that while the ALS is an opportunity to finish basic education, the numbers are still low.

It noted that only 302,807 out of 655,517 ALS enrollees completed their education in the school year 2023-2024. 

Furthermore, E-Net Philippines raised concern on the non-proficient reading levels of around three million learners, saying that the new school calendar will not address the learning gap.

“Assessment reforms must lead to real support including remediation, trained teachers, smaller learning groups, adequate learning materials, nutrition, psychosocial support, and inclusive services for learners with disabilities, indigenous learners, Muslim learners, learners in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, working learners, and children in emergency situations,” it enumarated. 

READ: Educ group seeks restoration of P5 billion budget for last mile schools

On the other hand, E-Net Philippines called for more non-teaching personnel so the teachers can solely focus on their teaching. 

The group also pointed out the classroom backlogs of over 165,000 across the country, noting that many learners continue to endure studying under makeshift classrooms and other extreme learning conditions. 

“Education reform cannot be measured by policy issuance alone,” it said.

“It must be measured by whether learners can read and learn, whether out-of-school youth and adults who missed out on education are given a second chance, whether children with disabilities and Indigenous learners receive support, whether teachers are supported and have time to teach, and whether communities have safe and complete schools,” it noted.

It called on the government to consider the following actions: Reach out-of-school youth; fund equity programs; reduce teachers’ workload; solve classroom backlogs; use assessment to support learners; and ensure public participation and accountability. /apl