EDUCATION Secretary Sonny Angara on Wednesday said there is no automatic pass or “auto-pass” policy on the promotion of students even as he acknowledged that some features of the system may be putting quiet pressure on schools and teachers to mass promote students.
Angara issued the statement amid the continuing controversy generated by a report that the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) disclosed – that 18.9 million junior and senior high school graduates last year are functionally illiterate.
The Department of Education (DepEd) disputed the number, saying the figure covers a much broader segment of the population, and shouldn’t be attached only to junior and senior high school graduates
Comments on social media tended to blame the alleged “mass promotion” of students as the culprit.
Angara said the department has no auto-pass policy, but he acknowledged that certain practices and incentive structures may be “unintentionally reinforcing such trends.”
“The DepEd has no automatic pass policy for students. But we have to admit some features of the system we inherited may be putting quiet pressure on schools and teachers to promote students,” Angara said.
“That’s something we are determined to correct,” he added.
Angara said the DepEd under his watch is “moving decisively to course-correct in pursuit of meaningful learning and improved literacy outcomes.”
He also reiterated that performance-based evaluations within the department are guided by a broader and more holistic set of indicators, which include Performance, Process, Financial, and Citizen and or Client Satisfaction Results.
“When school-level success is measured mainly by how many students move up, and when teachers feel that their own evaluations and promotions depend on that too, then we can’t be surprised if the system bends in that direction,” he said.
“That’s not a flaw in the people, but a flaw in the design,” he said.
According to him, the department is undertaking a comprehensive review of its assessment, remedial, and promotion policies to improve literacy and foundational skills of learners.
He added this will ensure that decisions on the promotion of learners to the next grade level are based on actual learning, supported by clearer standards, more effective remediation programs, and fairer teacher evaluation mechanisms.
“Mass promotion isn’t a written rule, but it has become a silent norm in some places. We want to change that. Promotion should be earned through real learning. And real learning should be what our system makes possible, not just expected,” Angara said.
