THE ALLIANCE of Concerned Teachers admitted that students progress in grade levels but are not really learning, the “wretched result of the worsening education crisis.”

“The worsening learning conditions in the country lead to more and more students who are unable to satisfactorily master the set competencies in various grade levels. It is simply impossible to ensure that all students learn in oversized classes studying in cramped and dilapidated classrooms and without sufficient learning materials,” Vladimir Quetua, the group’s chairperson, said.

The statement was issued in reaction to the report on the “unofficial policy of mass promotion” of students based on a 2023 study by the Philippine Business for Education.

“How do we expect students to focus on their lessons when they lack sufficient nourishment? What are we to do with learners who are absent in class most of the school year because they have to earn for their poor families, or they lack the needed guidance as parents toil day and night to make ends meet?” Quetua asked.

He lamented that underperforming learners are an additional problem for teachers, who are grilled when they give failing grades.

“Did the teacher take extra time to teach underperforming learners? Have they talked to the parents? Have they done home visitation? Still, teachers are the ones to take on the responsibility of giving remedial classes during school break, without extra pay but mere service credits,” Quetua said.

“Frankly speaking, school heads and education officials openly encourage mass promotion as failing marks do not do good to the image of the school, can affect the education agency’s ranking in the grant of performance-based bonus, and can hurt the Philippines’ performance in its commitment to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. Moreover, school heads say that having repeaters would only worsen the problem of big class size,” he added.