DepEd: No policy to ‘mass promote’ unprepared students

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Sunday said it has no policy allowing the mass promotion of students to the next grade level despite their lack of mastery of required competencies.

“Walang polisiya ang DepEd na sinasabing ang mga bata ay dapat ma-automatically promote. Wala po tayong polisiya na ganyan,” said DepEd Undersecretary for Learning Systems Strand Carmela Oracion in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

(DepEd has no policy stating that children should be automatically promoted. We have no such policy.)

The statement came amid renewed discussion on mass promotion following the release of the National Education and Workforce Development Plan (NatPlan) 2026–2035, which called for an end to the practice and set a goal of ensuring that every child becomes a reader by Grade 3.

Earlier, House Basic Education Committee chairperson Rep. Roman Romulo said the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) found that mass promotion has become a “systematic culture” in the country’s education system.

“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.

For its part, DepEd said it is addressing the issue by strengthening the overall education system.

“Unang-una po, pinabubuti pa natin ang ating mainstream education. Kasi po, siguro ang dahilan kung bakit hindi handa ang ating kabataan sa susunod na baitang ay dahil hindi maayos na nade-deliver ang ating mainstream education. Pero produkto ito ng maraming taon—dekada nga po,” Oracion said.

(First of all, we are improving our mainstream education. Perhaps the reason many students are unprepared for the next grade level is that mainstream education has not been delivered properly. This, however, is the result of many years—decades—of challenges.)

DepEd is also banking on its Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program, which provides free tutorials in reading, mathematics, and science.

“Ang implementation ng ARAL Program natin ay talagang matindi. Lahat ng mga batang hindi handa batay sa beginning-of-school-year assessment ay sumasailalim sa remediation programs,” Oracion said.

(The implementation of our ARAL Program is very intensive. All students found unprepared based on beginning-of-school-year assessments undergo remediation.)

The department has also allocated additional funds for the procurement of storybooks for students in Grades 1 to 3 to help cultivate a love for reading.

“Sa Key Stage 1, o Grades 1 to 3, nagpadala ang DepEd ng budget sa mga divisions at paaralan para makabili ng storybooks bilang suporta sa kanilang mga aralin,” she said.

(It is important for children to have actual reading materials—not just handouts—to help develop a love for reading.)

Romulo, meanwhile, said the reading and comprehension crisis among Filipino students should not be blamed on either learners or teachers.

“Hindi kasalanan ng bata. Hindi rin kasalanan ng guro. Ang problema ay ang sistemang nagtutulak na ipasa na lamang ang mga mag-aaral,” he said during a news forum on Saturday.

(For us, for those currently in the K–12 system, we should use the ARAL Program and implement aggressive interventions to help students along the way.)

New grading system

Romulo earlier said mass promotion is driven by “institutional pressure to maintain high passing rates,” compounded by the transmutation grading policy that “obscures actual learning outcomes and masks failure.”

In response, DepEd said it will soon issue a policy shifting toward a new grading system.

“May bagong polisiya tayong ilalabas kung saan unti-unti tayong lilipat sa non-transmutation grading system, upang ang 75% sa report card ay tunay na mag-represent ng 75% na kaalaman,” Oracion said.

(We are gradually moving toward a non-transmutation grading system so that a 75% grade truly reflects 75% mastery.)

Another proposed reform is the adoption of non-numeric, descriptive grading for lower grade levels.

“Para sa lower grades, magiging descriptive ang grades at hindi numeric. Layunin nating alisin ang takot at pakiramdam na hinuhusgahan ang mga bata,” Oracion said.

(For lower grades, grading will be descriptive rather than numeric, to remove fear and judgment associated with grades.)—MCG, GMA Integrated News