TL;DR: Brigada Eskwela is DepEd's five-day national volunteer week that prepares public schools for the opening of classes. It began in 2003 as the National Schools Maintenance Week under DepEd Memorandum No. 79, s. 2003, and was institutionalised by DepEd Order No. 24, s. 2008, which made it mandatory for all public schools from SY 2008-2009. Each cycle is governed by an annual memorandum: the 2026 round ran 1 to 5 June 2026 under DepEd Memorandum No. 027, s. 2026, with a national kick-off on 29 May 2026 in Cabadbaran City, CARAGA. The rule most often broken is the simplest one: school personnel are strictly prohibited from soliciting or collecting any contribution, including a Brigada Eskwela fee, from parents, guardians, volunteers or partners.
If you have a child in a public school, Brigada Eskwela is the week the campus fills with people painting walls and hauling desks. This guide covers what the programme is, where it came from, what the current guidelines actually direct schools to do, and the three rules on money, participation and partners that decide whether a school is running it correctly.
What Is Brigada Eskwela?
DepEd's own description in the 2026 guidelines: Brigada Eskwela is the Department's flagship programme, embodying bayanihan by mobilising teachers, learners, parents, communities and stakeholders to prepare schools for a successful school year. It is also called the National Schools Maintenance Week.
The work is physical and specific. The pre-implementation stage requires the School Facilities Coordinator to conduct a comprehensive assessment of all school infrastructure, covering classrooms, offices, libraries, laboratories, water and sanitation facilities, electrical systems, roofs, drainage and perimeter fences, with attention to structural stability, safety compliance and the ability to withstand typhoons, earthquakes, flooding and fire. Findings go into a School Preparedness Checklist, prioritised by urgency, with items marked "not prepared" escalated for action.
| Brigada Eskwela at a glance | Detail |
|---|---|
| Also known as | National Schools Maintenance Week |
| First held | 2003, under DepEd Memorandum No. 79, s. 2003 |
| Institutionalised by | DepEd Order No. 24, s. 2008 |
| Mandatory for public schools since | SY 2008-2009 |
| Duration | Five days |
| Governing document each year | An annual DepEd Memorandum |
| 2026 cycle | 1 to 5 June 2026, per DepEd Memorandum No. 027, s. 2026 |
| Nature of the work | Voluntary |
How the Week Is Structured
The 2026 guidelines run the programme in three stages, and only one of them is the week itself.
Pre-implementation, beginning two to three months ahead: the facilities assessment, the creation of the working committees, orientation of participants, resource mobilisation and partnership agreements. Committees are led by the School Head and include teachers, non-teaching personnel, PTA officers and Reading Coordinators, with parents, learners, community members and external stakeholders optional and voluntary.
Implementation, the five-day week itself. In 2026 the national kick-off was held on 29 May in Cabadbaran City, CARAGA, livestreamed on DepEd's official Facebook page, with regional kick-offs held simultaneously on 1 June. Schools may open with an advocacy caravan and a presentation of their School Preparedness Plans to stakeholders before voluntary work begins.
Post-implementation: monitoring, evaluation, documentation, daily reports on donations received and services rendered, attendance records for volunteers, and recognition of partners at school, division and regional levels.
For where this sits in the wider year, see our DepEd school calendar guide for SY 2026-2027, which places Brigada Eskwela immediately before the opening of classes.
What Do Volunteers Actually Do?
The 2026 focus areas, as listed in the memorandum:
- preparing schools with clean, safe and learner-friendly environments
- supporting reading development by providing materials and engaging stakeholders in literacy activities
- improving school infrastructure by repairing classrooms, fixing facilities, maintaining grounds and upgrading learning spaces
- enhancing structural safety and climate resilience of school facilities
- organising clean-up drives to clear clutter and pathways
The literacy element is the newer addition. Schools are directed to assess the status, adequacy and safety of bookshelves, libraries, reading corners and other literacy support spaces, and may conduct a reading readiness needs assessment to identify learners needing early intervention.
If you are donating rather than working, the guidelines set out suggested categories: repair and maintenance supplies and tools, plumbing and drinking water items, classroom essentials such as desks, chairs and boards, technology items including computers, projectors and network equipment, safety and disaster preparedness items such as fire extinguishers, first-aid kits and emergency signage, health and hygiene kits, skilled volunteer service from carpenters, electricians, plumbers and painters, and snacks for volunteers that comply with DepEd Order No. 13, s. 2017 on healthy food and beverage choices.
The Three Rules People Get Wrong
1. No school personnel may solicit or collect anything. The 2026 guidelines head this section "Compliance with the Absolute Prohibition on Solicitation." School heads, teachers and other school personnel are strictly prohibited from soliciting or collecting any form of contribution, including Brigada Eskwela fees, from parents or legal guardians, volunteers, partners and stakeholders. The statutory basis is Republic Act No. 4206 as amended by Republic Act No. 5546, which prohibits the sale of tickets and the collection of contributions for any project or purpose from students and teachers of public and private schools, colleges and universities. The guidelines also cite DepEd Order No. 5, s. 1992 on solicitation of contributions, and DepEd Order No. 47, s. 2022 as amended by DepEd Order No. 49, s. 2022. Our no collection policy guide covers the related standing rule for public schools.
2. Participation cannot be bought with grades. The guidelines state plainly that school personnel shall not require the participation of parents and learners in exchange for extra points in the grades of learners. All work performed during the period is voluntary in nature. If your child's class is being told otherwise, that is the sentence to quote.
3. Some partners are off limits. All DepEd offices and schools must strictly observe the prohibition on partnering with, or accepting donations or sponsorships from, industries presenting conflicts of interest, including the tobacco, breast milk substitute and alcoholic beverage industries. The guidelines cite DepEd Order No. 48, s. 2016 on comprehensive tobacco control, DepEd Order No. 13, s. 2017, and a joint administrative order of the health, social welfare, education, higher education, technical education and local government agencies on the healthy settings framework in learning institutions.
How Donations Are Recorded, and the Tax Incentive
Every in-kind donation and service from a government or private partner must be duly recorded and used in compliance with existing rules, with the Acknowledgement Receipt and Inventory Custodian Slip used to acknowledge receipt. Committees keep daily inventories of materials used, daily reports on donations and services, and volunteer attendance. All stakeholder support is reported in the DepEd Partnerships Database System.
For partners that want the tax benefit, the route is the Adopt-a-School Program under Republic Act No. 8525, and the guidelines direct schools to prepare the supporting documents: a notarised Memorandum of Agreement, a notarised Deed of Donation and Deed of Acceptance, and other required documents. Larger commitments are formalised in an MOU or MOA setting out the roles of the school and its partners.
Parent-teacher associations are frequently the group organising the volunteer side of this. Our PTA guide covers what a PTA may and may not require, and our school MOOE guide covers the public funds a school has to work with in the first place.
The Theme Changes Every Year
Brigada Eskwela runs under a different theme each cycle, announced in that year's DepEd Memorandum. The 2026 theme was Bayanihan sa Paaralan: Nagkakaisa para sa Kaayusan at Kaalaman. We do not host tarpaulin templates or banner artwork; our companion post on the Brigada Eskwela theme explains who sets it and where to verify the current one.
Disclaimer: Brigada Eskwela dates, themes and focus areas are set by a new DepEd memorandum every year, and division offices add their own instructions. Confirm the current cycle with your school head or schools division office.
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Sources
- DepEd Memorandum No. 027, s. 2026 - 2026 Brigada Eskwela Implementing Guidelines, full PDF, source of the theme, the 1 to 5 June 2026 dates, the focus areas, the three stages, the solicitation prohibition and the donation categories
- DepEd Order No. 24, s. 2008 - Institutionalization of the Brigada Eskwela Program or the National Schools Maintenance Week, official issuance page
- DepEd Memorandum No. 79, s. 2003 - Brigada Eskwela National Schools Maintenance Week, official issuance page for the original 2003 memorandum
- DepEd Order No. 19, s. 2008 - Implementation of the No Collection Policy in All Public Elementary and Secondary Schools, official issuance page
- DepEd Order No. 13, s. 2017 - Policy and Guidelines on Healthy Food and Beverage Choices in Schools and in DepEd Offices, official issuance page
- DepEd Order No. 009, s. 2026 - Guidelines on the Implementation of the Three-Term School Calendar in Basic Education, the order the 2026 Brigada Eskwela dates were set against
- SchoolFinderPH - DepEd no collection policy
