The proposed three-term school calendar is a major reform in how the school year is organized. It does more than change dates. It improves the use of time in basic education by dividing the year into clearer and more purposeful periods.
Its main goal is to protect teaching time, reduce unnecessary interruptions, and create a more manageable school schedule for learners, teachers, and schools. Because of this, schools can support more consistent instruction and make better use of learning time.
A key part of this reform is the reorganization of the Budget of Work (BOW) from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Under the three-term school calendar, the BOW is realigned so that learning competencies, lessons, and classroom activities are distributed more evenly across the year. This gives teachers and schools a clearer guide for instruction in each term. It also helps ensure that classroom teaching stays aligned with the new calendar structure.
The reorganized BOW also supports more realistic pacing. Instead of compressing lessons or making repeated adjustments due to interruptions, teachers can plan learning activities more effectively across the three terms. In addition, this improves lesson delivery, assessment, remediation, and enrichment throughout the school year.
Grades 7 to 10
The Budget of Work for Grades 7 to 10 supports learners as they meet the wider and more demanding requirements of junior high school. At this stage, learners deal with more complex concepts, deeper subject content, and a greater range of performance tasks. For this reason, instruction must be well-paced, organized, and responsive to their academic needs.
By spreading competencies, lessons, and classroom activities more evenly across the three terms, the BOW helps create a more balanced flow of instruction. It gives learners enough time to build understanding, strengthen skills, and apply what they have learned in different subject areas. At the same time, it helps teachers avoid lesson congestion and maintain continuity in classroom teaching.
For teachers, the reorganized Budget of Work for Grades 7 to 10 serves as a clear guide for lesson planning, assessment, and learner support. It aligns instruction with the Opening Block, Instructional Block, and End-of-Term Block in each term. As a result, teachers can better manage teaching, intervention, remediation, and enrichment throughout the school year.
Budget of Work for Grade 7
Budget of Work for Grade 8
Budget of Work for Grade 9
Budget of Work for Grade 10
