EDCOM 2 seeks end to mass promotion of failing students
Learners who fall behind may be held back, as the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) is seeking to end mass promotions.
EDCOM 2 submitted its third and final National Education and Workforce Development Plan for 2026 to 2035 to Congress on Jan. 26.
The call to end the practice of passing failing students to meet administrative performance targets comes as the Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment for school year 2024-2025 found that only 30.52% of Grade 3 learners read at grade level. This drops to 19.56% by Grade 6, and lowers to 0.4% by Grade 12.
The commission said that the crisis could be due to systemic failures, limited access to early childhood education, and the policy allowing unqualified learners to advance.
"This is not a failure of our teachers, it is a failure of the system, one that imposes a congested curriculum, expects teachers to teach an excessive volume of content, and learners to comprehend and master everything within an unreasonably short period of time, and then demands students to pass all subjects regardless of readiness," Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo said in a privilege speech on Jan. 26.
The commission's review also found that student grades have been transmuted: raw failing grades of 60 are considered a passing 75 on a student's report card.
In an interview with One New PH, EDCOM 2 Executive Director Karol Mark Yee explained that the mass promotion practices include the Department of Education's grade transmutation policy and the rating of principals.
Romulo said that a teacher told them that they didn't want to pass unqualified learners but felt pressured to. "'Dahil kapag binagsak namin, nasasabihan kami na pinahamak namin ang division o ang school,'" Romulo quoted.
"You can't expect that all students, 100% will complete. Because normally, students need some more time than others, need remediation," Yee said.
For the DepEd's part, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said that the agency has already started implementing many of EDCOM 2's recommendations, "Lalo na ang mga nakatuon sa learning recovery, pagpapalakas ng foundational skills ng mag-aaral, at pagsusulong ng system-wide governance reforms," Angara said in a statement. (with reports from Bella Cariaso)
