STUDENTS who fall under the lowest level of reading comprehension will now be required to attend summer remedial classes, according to the Department of Education (DepEd).
Education Secretary Sonny Angara announced that the agency will now rely on results from the Beginning of School Year (BOSY) and End of School Year (EOSY) assessments to identify students with serious learning gaps.
“Basta ikaw ay nasa below level, yung lowest level of reading comprehension, required ka mag-summer review,” said Sec. Angara.
The agency hopes that this new system will put an end to the “mass promotion” system—where students advance to the next grade even without mastering basic competencies.
He explained that many local governments have been highly supportive of the program, helping schools address literacy problems early.
Previously, the summer program was optional, but some students who needed the most help were often the ones who didn’t volunteer to join.
“Eh, required po ito eh. Kasi dati voluntary. Pero yung mga naiiwan, parang hindi sila nag-vo-volunteer,” said the Secretary.
Another issue DepEd observed was that some teachers, overwhelmed with work, would pass underperforming students just to avoid extra tutoring duties.
To fix this, DepEd has assigned different teachers to handle summer classes—those not previously involved with the students during the school year.
“Pinag-aralan namin yung kabuuan,” said Angara. “Pinapasa na lang ni teacher para hindi na siya mabigyan ng extra na trabaho.”
“Meron mag-monitor, pero hindi yung teacher na nagturo sa mga bata na yun. Meron tayong mga teachers na nakafocus talaga sa summer remediation,” he added.
Angara ensured that the teachers assigned for the summer program will be compensated for their work.
“Bibigyan ng extra credits ito. At hindi yung regular teacher ang magbibigay ng assistance dito sa mga bata na kailangan ng summer remediation,” he said.
