Following the recommendation of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) to stop “mass promotion” practices, the Department of Education (DepEd) on Sunday, Feb. 1, said it has no policy on the automatic promotion of learners, but acknowledged that a perception of mass promotion may have emerged in schools.

In its final basic education report released on Jan. 26, EDCOM II said national assessments, including the National Achievement Test, show that many Filipino learners are promoted despite weak literacy and numeracy skills, prompting the commission to urge DepEd to immediately end mass promotion practices and amend its policies to better support vulnerable learners.

“Malalim na malalim po ang problema natin at isang aspeto na nga itong pag-angat ng mga kabataan—ng mga mag-aaral sa susunod na baitang kahit hindi sila handa (Our problem runs very deep, and one aspect of it is the promotion of young people—of learners—to the next grade level even if they are not ready),” DepEd Officer-in-Charge Undersecretary for Learning Systems Strand Carmela Oracion said in a radio interview.

“Sa totoo lang po, wala pong polisiya ang DepEd na sinasabing ang mga bata ay dapat ma-automatically promote. Wala po tayong polisiya na ganyan (In truth, DepEd has no policy saying that children should be automatically promoted. We have no such policy),” she went on.

However, Oracion noted that a perception of mass promotion may have emerged in schools due to procedural realities on the ground.

“Ngunit siguro po, nagkaroon ng perception ng mass promotion sa ating field. Marami rin pong dahilan dito. Halimbawa, siguro, nangangailangan sila ng maraming approval, ang ating mga guro, upang mag-retain ng mga bata (But perhaps there developed a perception of mass promotion in the field. There are many reasons for this. For example, teachers may need many approvals in order to retain learners),” she added.

The DepEd official said the agency’s response is focused on ensuring learners are genuinely prepared before moving up, noting that learning gaps stem from long-standing challenges in mainstream education that have developed over decades and require both systemic improvements and targeted interventions.

“Ang tugon po ng DepEd… ay ang tunay na paghahanda sa mga bata (DepEd’s response is the real preparation of learners),” Oracion said.

“Unang-una po pinabubuti pa natin ang ating mainstream education… Pero produkto po ito ng maraming-maraming taon—dekada nga po… Kaya habang inaasikaso natin ang mainstream education natin, kinakailangan din natin ang remediation measures (First, we are improving our mainstream education… But this is the product of many years—indeed, decades… So while we address mainstream education, we also need remediation measures),” she added.

She said DepEd has already rolled out intensive remediation initiatives, beginning during the summer and continuing through the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) program.

“Nagsimula na po tayo sa matinding remediation measures natin, nung summer pa po, at ngayon ang ating ARAL program (We already began intensive remediation measures during the summer, and now through our ARAL program),” she said.

Under the ARAL program, Oracion said learners identified as not ready based on beginning-of-school-year assessments are required to undergo remediation.

“Lahat ng mga batang hindi handa, batay sa kanilang beginning of school year assessment, ay sumasailalim sa ating remediation programs (All learners who are not ready, based on beginning-of-school-year assessments, undergo our remediation programs),” she said.

She added that both teachers and students involved in remediation are now supported with dedicated learning materials.

“Mayroong materyales ang ating mga guro na humahawak ng remedial students, at materyales din po sa mga bata (Our teachers handling remedial students have materials, and the learners also have their own materials),” Oracion said.