DepEd says ‘auto-pass’ not policy but a silent, widespread practice; vows reforms
Education Secretary Sonny Angara on Wednesday reiterated that the Department of Education (DepEd) maintains a strict policy that only students who meet learning standards and demonstrate real academic progress should graduate.
The clarification comes in the wake of a Senate hearing on the Philippine Statistics Authority’s Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) where it was estimated that 18 million Filipino graduates from the country’s basic education system could be functionally illiterate.
The findings raised the alarm on the standards used to promote students to higher levels.
“There is no policy in DepEd that mandates the automatic passing of students,” said Angara in a statement in Filipino. “But we also have to admit—some aspects of the system we inherited silently pushing schools and teachers to promote students, and this is what we are determined to fix.”
Angara acknowledged that while there is no official directive to pass students regardless of performance, certain incentives or performance metrics may have inadvertently encouraged schools to prioritize graduation rates over genuine learning outcomes.
He noted that DepEd’s internal evaluations are now based on a broader and more holistic framework, encompassing Performance, Process, Financial, and Citizen/Client Satisfaction results.
“When school success is measured mainly by the number of students who pass, and when teachers feel their own evaluations and promotions depend on these numbers, it’s no surprise that the system leans in that direction,” Angara explained. “This isn’t a failure of individuals but of the design.”
As part of its reform agenda, DepEd is set to review and overhaul policies related to student assessment, remediation and promotion. The goal, according to Angara, is to ensure that every student’s promotion is based on actual learning—backed by clear standards, effective remedial support and fair teacher evaluations.
“Mass promotion isn’t written in our policies, but in some places, it has quietly become a norm,” Angara said. “We want to change that. Promotion must be earned. And true learning—that’s what the system must create, not just expect.”
