Mass Promotion Must Come to an End
It’s like building a bridge with substandard materials, thinking it would last, but eventually, after a few years, its consequences are far from what we expected.
The Second Congressional Commission reported that the data from the Department of Education from 2023 to 2025 show that 70 percent of learners continue to struggle with foundational skills by third grade. Imagine — simple letters and sounds, reading common words, understanding short passages, and counting on their own — yet learners are still struggling.
Passing students without learning helps no one. There are many students who have advanced, yet they are still not ready. Days and years have passed, yet Filipinos have failed to realize that mass promotion is the root cause of it all. Students are getting lazy with their studies because even if they fail, they will eventually pass because of what we call “transmuted grades.”
Passing Without Learning
The grading rules set by the Department of Education, particularly under Department Order No. 8, series of 2015 — also known as the transmutation policy — implement a standard grading system that ensures passing raw scores averaging 60 to 61.50 correspond to a minimum grade of 75, which is the passing mark.
Sure, understanding students’ situations and backgrounds is important, however it will create a learning gap where students struggle even though they passed, simply because they have not yet mastered the basics.
Filipinos must open their eyes to the truth — mass promotion must come to an end. Ending this will restore the true value of education, where learners strive to earn higher grades and achieve their dreams and goals in life. A diploma should signify skills and knowledge, not just attendance.
