triMESSter System

Building Construction | Opinion Writer

Highlights

• DepEd claims that trimming the semester will protect students’ mental health, but for students immersed in extracurriculars, the breaks are anything but stimulating.
• But the proposed trimester highlights that in reality discipline without rest is just another form of stress.
• But the system ignores that so-called improvement of well-being isn’t for all. 

I witness student journalists every day, laptops open and pens scribbling. The so called breaks that are supposed to let them breathe and recharge are filled with training and deadlines. The trimester system was sold as a mental health intervention, yet these students’ downtime is swallowed whole by obligations that feel more like punishment than preparation.

The Department of Education (DepEd) recently proposed a trimester system, aiming to reduce student and teacher stress by shortening academic terms and providing mental breaks in between. 

It frustrates me. DepEd claims that trimming the semester will protect students’ mental health, but for students immersed in extracurriculars, the breaks are anything but stimulating. One week to reset is not enough. One week of non stop training sessions does not erase the mental fatigue accumulated over months of complying academic requirements and reporting. 

If the purpose of trimester is to prevent burnout, why do the very students who contribute most to school life have no real chance to recover?

Some say extracurriculars teach discipline and responsibility. But the proposed trimester highlights that in reality discipline without rest is just another form of stress. According to research on adolescent workload and mental health, recovery time is essential for emotional regulation and learning consolidation. Students who never truly rest, who spend their breaks in training, are being set up for the very burnout the system claims to prevent.
Read More: Mental health of adolescents

I see the consequences. Student journalists arrive at school exhausted, deadlines looming, creativity drained. Academic performance may appear stable, but the cost is psychological. The trimmed semester, instead of providing relief, has only concentrated pressure into shorter cycles with no real relief for those who are already stretched thin.

During the press briefing held at Libertad National High School, Assistant Principal Agnes Y. De Guzman, Ed.D. said that trimester is about improving students’ well-being. But the system ignores that so-called improvement of well-being isn’t for all. Some students can rest but others can’t. If breaks are co-opted for training and catch-up activities, the whole purpose of the trimester is useless.

If we truly want mental health interventions, schools must reconsider how breaks are allocated. Instead of forcing students who have extracurricular activities to train during school breaks, schools must propose a program intended for their training not affecting their mental health break. Real rest must exist alongside structured learning. Otherwise, the trimester is not a shield rather it is a sugar coated treadmill, promising relief but delivering more stress.

We need to stop pretending that a calendar change alone solves burnout. Policies that ignore the lived realities of student journalists are empty gestures. A week of breaks cannot heal exhaustion piled high over months. Trimester without real recovery is just another form of institutionalized stress, and it’s students’ mental health that pays the price.