Is it really what grade you get, or how much you learned? Ideally, eaducation is about learning. In reality, it is about passing grades and making it to the next level–despite what one learns and what one doesn’t.

Education Secretary Edilberto de Jesus rescinded an earlier order fixing the passing mark for pupils at 75 and reinstated the old passing mark of 70 this school year.

The lowest mark that may appear in a report card remains 65.

De Jesus appears to have backtracked after public school students reportedly flunked under the new performance-based grading system imposed during the October 2003 second grading period.

The education secretary acknowledged the complaints from the teachers that many of their students fared poorly during the third grading period because of the new grading system. [Philippine Daily Inquirer]

Let’s say La Di Da Elementary School has 250 6th graders who expect to graduate in March. If the passing grade is 75% only 200 students will graduate; if the passing grade is 70%, all 250 students will graduate. Which is preferable–200 students who can actually read, write, multiply, divide, etc. making it to high school or 250 new high school students, 1/5 of whom are ill-prepared to read 12-letter words, perform simple analytical work, write short theme papers…?

Are today’s public school pupils getting dumber? NO. They are simply getting low-quality teachers in a low-quality public education system. The continued export of labor have left very few competent teachers willing to teach in public schools with their notorious low pay. The low-quality of public school education is an incident of the state of out economy and the corruption in our government.

I know. A diploma is nice. It is a testament to one’s achievement. But it only means something when it is not a mere piece of paper.