EDCOM 2: National education plan 2026–2035 calls for end to mass promotion

The National Education and Workforce Development Plan (NatPlan) 2026-2035 calls for an end to mass promotion and to ensure that every child is a reader by Grade 3, as the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) submitted its third and final report on Monday.

The report introduces the NatPlan, a strategic framework that aligns reforms across the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

The framework also proposes to fully implement the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program in basic education, which aims to address the country's learning crisis and strengthen the foundational skills of Filipino learners.

During his privileged speech, House Basic Education Committee Chairperson Rep. Roman Romulo said the report confirmed that mass promotion has become a “systematic culture.”

“Learners are knowingly allowed to proceed to higher grade levels despite the absence of mastery of required competencies and clear indicators of unpreparedness,” Romulo said.

“This practice is driven by institutional pressure to maintain high passing rates compounded by the transmutation grading policy that obscures actual learning outcomes and masks failure,” he added.

Romulo shared that since 2015, a raw score of 60 has been transmuted to a passing grade of 75 on report cards.

“Sabi rin sa amin ng isang guro, ayaw namin ipasa dahil minsan alam namin ang bata hindi talaga handa, pero napipilitan kami dahil kapag binagsak namin, nasasabihan kami na pinahamak namin ang division o ang school,” the lawmaker said.

(A teacher also told us that they were forced to pass incompetent students because if they failed them, it would harm the division or school’s image.)

The NatPlan also said the government should ensure that every barangay has access to quality early childhood education.

Meanwhile, programs in higher and technical vocational education must be aligned with industry needs to ensure that scholarships actually reach the poor.

Plummeting proficiency

The report also showed a “plummeting proficiency,” with student mastery declining from 30.5% in Grade 3 to 0.40% by Grade 12.

The Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment (CRLA) for the End of School Year for SY 2024-2025 revealed that 48.76% of learners were not reading at grade level by Grade 3, a deficit that compounds over time.

It points to several causes, including early childhood stunting affecting 23.6% of children and low access to early education, with only 34% of 3 to 4-year-olds enrolled.

In December 2025, EDCOM 2 reported that the country is facing a severe foundational learning crisis, with 85 percent of Grade 1 to 3 pupils struggling to read.

EDCOM 2 Executive Director Karol Mark Yee earlier said A 10-year reform is needed to address the country’s education crisis. — Mariel Celine Serquiña/BAP, GMA Integrated News