The Department of Education said the recommendation to pass all students due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is not fair, according to a report of Super Radyo dzBB over the weekend.
Education Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio said many learners were doing their best to pass despite the challenges, while others were not taking their studies seriously.
“Kailangang maunawaan ng mga bata na ang pag-aaral ay kailangan ng effort at sineseryoso, kaya ang paniniwala namin ay kailangan ng marka, numerical pa rin ang grading,” San Antonio said.
“Naniniwala kami na mas magkakaroon ng magandang motibasyon ang bata na mag-aral kung alam niya ang kanyang ginagawa ay minamarkahan ng maayos.”
Meanwhile, while students are not dropping out from their classes, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian questioned if they are learning enough from the online classes that is being implemented under a pandemic.
Gatchalian noted that although the Department of Education reported there is no clear indicator of massive dropouts among learners as they either shifted from one mode of learning to another, he said there should be equal focus in tracking their learning progress under the distance learning setup.
He said an equally alarming scenario is having a high proportion of learners who are unprepared for their next schooling level.
While acknowledging that the recommendation aims to address the stress and anxiety of learners, San Antonio said teachers could offer help to these students.
“Nauunawaan namin na ang gusto ng panukala ay mabawasan ang stress at anxiety ng mga bata,’ he said.
“Hindi naman puwedeng lahat [ng bata] ay papasa. 'Yung talagang nagpapakita ng interes at ginagawa ang lahat pero nahihirapan ay bibigyan ng tulong at atensiyon ng mga guro.”
Implementing a no fail policy would not teach children responsibility, he said.
For San Antonio, learners would have more motivation in their studies once they saw their grades.