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Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
February 3, 2026 | 4:08pm
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education will review its policies that inadvertently move students up a grade level despite their poor performance, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said Tuesday, February 3.
Angara said DepEd will re-examine its grade transmutation matrix — where raw scores of 60 are converted to passing grades of 75 — and other practices that have the unintended effect of promoting unqualified students.
This comes after the Second Congressional Commission for Education (EDCOM II) released its final report last month, where it called on DepEd to phase out its de facto policy of automatically passing students regardless of grades, among other recommendations.
After three years of studying the problems in the education sector, EDCOM II noted that the practice has produced graduates who haven't yet mastered basic literacy and numeracy. Just about 30.5% of Grade 3 learners read at grade level, dropping sharply to 19.6% by Grade 6 and as low as 0.4% by Grade 12, according to DepEd data cited by the commission.
"While there is no formal mass promotion policy, there are unintended policies that have that effect," Angara said.
Teachers who tutor flunking students may feel pressured not to fail them. "Ang human nature ay di nya babagsak ang bata," Angara said. (Human nature pushes them not to fail the child.)
Angara said DepEd will evaluate its process of converting grades upward to ensure consistency across the education system. "When it comes to international assessments and college entrance exams, there's no transmutation," he said.
But students who fall behind will not be left to fail, Angara said. Those struggling will receive tutoring and additional attention through the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Act, which aims to get struggling students paired up with after-school tutors for free.
The DepEd chief also ruled out a sweeping curriculum rewrite, warning that a full overhaul would be disruptive and time-consuming.
