Don't give students passing grades as consolation, DepEd tells teachers

Despite the effects of the recent typhoons among students in some public and private schools nationwide, the Department of Education (DepEd) Wednesday strongly encouraged teachers and school heads not to give passing grades to their students as “consolation.”

In an official statement, Education Secretary Armin Luistro said while the Department empathizes with the students and their families after their ordeal brought about by the recent typhoons and floods, “we cannot and we should not give up on these students’ education.” The DepEd chief also added that “it is not enough to just give them passing grades without the proper interventions and appropriate evaluation tools.”

The statement was made as response to the call of the Federation of Associations of Private Schools and Administrators (FAPSA) to “give passing grades to all students this semester—public or private—in Tarlac, Pampanga and Bulacan devastated by tropical storms Pedring and Quiel.”

FAPSA president Eleazardo Kasilag called on the teachers and school heads to give passing grades to their students as “consolation.”

“This move may not sit well with DepEd and others would criticize that grades are made like doleouts but you have to understand that what these kids went through was something more than what the school can offer,” he said.

However, Kasilag said schools that decided to pass their students this semester should not make the announcement to the students “as it may hamper studies for the current quarter.”

DepEd said the calamities that hit Central Luzon have left the students and their families with nothing—some even almost lost their lives. “Hence if we would give them passing grades with that premise, we won’t compensate for the lost school days, rather, we would only steal from them the opportunity to learn and effectively deprive them of a quality education,” Luistro said.

By INA HERNANDO-MALIPOT
Manila Bulletin

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