A group of education workers has warned that “mass promotion” in public schools is a symptom of systemic failures in the education system, not a problem rooted in individual classrooms.

In a statement issued on February 4, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines responded to the recommendations in the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) report, which underscored the urgent need to “end” the so-called culture of “mass promotion,” a practice the Department of Education (DepEd) has repeatedly denied as official policy.

ACT emphasized that focusing solely on promotion policies risks misdiagnosing the underlying causes of poor learning outcomes in Philippine public schools.

“Ang mass promotion ay hindi simpleng desisyon sa loob ng silid-aralan (Mass promotion is not a simple decision made inside the classroom),” said ACT Chairperson Ruby Bernardo.

She pointed out that in the current system, when a student fails, it entails additional work beyond what a teacher can handle—including home visits, meetings with parents, remedial classes, and heavy documentation.

Bernardo alleged that when more students fail, it becomes an issue of the school’s image and the incentives tied to performance, which pressures the system to promote students who are not yet ready.

ACT also highlighted that low literacy and numeracy are shaped long before end-of-year promotion decisions, influenced by poverty, hunger, lack of early childhood education, and chronic underfunding in public education—especially in underserved communities.

The group also expressed caution regarding initiatives such as the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program. Bernardo noted that remedial programs cannot succeed when treated as add-ons to an overstretched system lacking sufficient funding, teachers, and classroom resources.

“Ang tanong ay hindi kung bakit pumapasa ang mga bata kundi kung bakit patuloy silang pinag-aaral sa mga kondisyong hindi talaga makapagbibigay ng makabuluhang pagkatuto (The question is not why children are passing but why they continue to be taught under conditions that do not truly provide meaningful learning),” Bernardo said.

Meanwhile, ACT criticized proposals that rely on alternative funding methods, such as expanding voucher programs, warning that diverting public funds to private education could weaken the public school system rather than address its core deficiencies.

The group reiterated that mass promotion is the result, not the cause, of long-standing neglect in Philippine education.

“Ang mass promotion ay sintomas, hindi ugat (Mass promotion is a symptom, not the root),” Bernardo said.

ACT urged policymakers to approach the education crisis as a structural and social issue, emphasizing that meaningful reform requires full funding for public schools, adequate teaching personnel, and improved learning conditions nationwide.

“Hangga’t hindi tinutugunan ng estado ang kakulangan sa pondo, guro, at pasilidad, mananatiling pansamantala at pira-piraso ang mga solusyon (As long as the state fails to address the lack of funding, teachers, and facilities, solutions will remain temporary and fragmented),” Bernardo ended.

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