NUMEROUS teachers, parents, and students flocked to schools as Brigada Eskwela and enrollment for School Year 2026-2027 officially kicked off.
Allan G. Farnazo, regional director of the Department of Education-Davao Region (DepEd-Davao), highlighted the importance of support from the private sector, citing how the students nurtured by schools would eventually enter the workforce and contribute to communities.
“The products of the education sector eventually become part of the corporate world. That is why we must continue to receive support from our partners in the private sector,” he said.
Farnazo added that each sector needs the other in order to grow and that if one sector stops, it would have an effect on its counterparts.
Meanwhile, Assistant Secretary for Information and Communications Technology Atty. Marcelino G. Veloso III is optimistic that the spirit of volunteerism will continue and that collective action will extend beyond the kickoff of Brigada Eskwela. He said that the public should continue the spirit of bayanihan and encouraged all sectors to remain active partners in supporting quality education.
DepEd-Davao launched the regional kickoff of Brigada Eskwela at Maa Central Elementary School, where representatives from government agencies, private organizations, and community stakeholders conducted cleaning activities in preparation for the opening of classes, to provide students with a safe, clean, and conducive learning environment.
Meanwhile, at Talomo Central Elementary School, parents flocked to the school on the first day of Brigada Eskwela and enrolled their children in the upcoming opening of classes on June 8, 2026.
Emalyn Mulato, assistant principal at the Talomo Central Elementary School, said that for this year’s Brigada Eskwela, they aim to finish their mini gym in time for the opening of classes, conduct canal declogging to prevent flooding, and acquire literacy and numeracy kits for kindergarten teachers.
Mulato, who also teaches at the school, added that they also have minor repairs to make in some of the old rooms, chairs, and tables. She said that due to some rooms no longer being usable, most of the parents are helping by transferring tables and chairs to usable rooms.
She said they expect the number of parents to increase in the following days and that they already have organizations that have expressed interest in helping out during Brigada Eskwela.
“Mag-expect pa gyud mi og daghan kay ani man ni ang uban, dili muadto og first day, pagka-ugma na kay daghan lagi kaayo og tao (We are still expecting more people because some of them do not come on the first day. They usually come the next day since there are too many people on the opening day),” she told SunStar Davao on June 1, 2026.
Mulato said that they welcome parents and stakeholders who donate cleaning materials or volunteer their services for Brigada Eskwela. She said the program is important because parents are ensuring that the rooms and facilities their children use are all ready.
Start of three-term school calendar
School Year 2026–2027 will start on June 8, 2026, and will end on April 8, 2027, with 201 class days. It will follow a three-term school calendar. DepEd said that the new calendar provides a wider latitude for the teaching and learning period of children.
The agency said that through the three-term school calendar, learners will have more time to learn. In times of disaster, schools can shift to alternative learning modalities, whether online or through modular learning, to ensure the continuity of learning.
To recall, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. approved the proposed three-term school calendar for public schools, from elementary to senior high school, starting in Academic Year 2026–2027.
The approved plan is in line with the recommendation of the Economic and Development Council (EDC) and is considered part of the broader education reforms in the country.
The old four grading periods will be replaced by a three-term academic calendar. This shift aims to address compressed learning periods caused by class suspensions due to calamities, accidents, and other disruptions. RGP
