FEBRUARY 1, 2026 — The Department of Education (DepEd) has once again found itself at the center of a heated debate: are Filipino students being promoted to the next grade level even if they’re not ready? DepEd insists the answer is no. But the bigger question is — do parents, teachers, and even the students themselves believe it?

“Walang polisiya ang DepEd na sinasabing ang mga bata ay dapat ma-automatically promote. Wala po tayong polisiya na ganyan,” said DepEd Undersecretary Carmela Oracion in a radio interview.

(DepEd has no policy saying that children should be automatically promoted. We have no such policy.)

This statement came after the release of the National Education and Workforce Development Plan (NatPlan) 2026–2035, which boldly declared that mass promotion must end, with a clear target: every Filipino child should be a reader by Grade 3. 

Congressman Roman Romulo, chair of the House Basic Education Committee said the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) found that mass promotion has become a “systematic culture” in our schools.

“Learners are knowingly allowed to proceed to higher grade levels despite the absence of mastery of required competencies and clear indicators of unpreparedness,” Romulo warned.

So if mass promotion is not an official policy, why does it feel like it’s happening anyway? Parents see it. Teachers admit it off the record. Students know it. The system pushes everyone forward, whether they’re ready or not. And Romulo is right — it’s not the fault of the child or the teacher. It’s the machinery of education itself, obsessed with high passing rates and “transmutation” grading that hides failure behind inflated numbers.

DepEd says it’s fixing things. Oracion pointed to the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program, which offers free tutorials in reading, math, and science. She also highlighted new funds for storybooks in Grades 1 to 3, hoping to spark a love for reading early on. These are good steps — but are they enough to undo decades of systemic neglect?

“Unang-una po, pinabubuti pa natin ang ating mainstream education … Pero produkto ito ng maraming taon — dekada nga po,” Oracion admitted.

(First of all, we are improving mainstream education … But this is the product of many years — decades, in fact.)

DepEd also promises a new grading system. No more transmutation. A 75% will mean exactly that — 75% knowledge, not a sugarcoated number. For lower grades, descriptive grading will replace numeric scores, supposedly to remove fear and judgment. 

Sounds progressive, but will it really change the culture of “just pass them anyway”?

We deserve an honest education system, not one that hides behind numbers and policies. The challenge now is whether DepEd can prove its words with action — or whether mass promotion will remain the silent rule of the game.

The heart of the matter is, education is not about moving kids up the ladder — it’s about making sure they can climb it. If Grade 3 students can’t read, if high schoolers can’t comprehend, then what’s the point of promotion? Are we raising graduates or just producing diplomas?

(Image: Philippine News Agency)