MANILA — An official of the Department of Education (DepEd) clarified on Monday that the National Achievement Test (NAT) 12 is not a requirement for graduation for senior high school (SHS) students.
DepEd Undersecretary Lorna Dig-Dino said SHS students can graduate and enroll in college even without taking the NAT12.
This is contrary to what some private schools say that SHS students cannot continue onto higher education without passing the test.
“Probably, it’s the only way for schools to ask for the participation of the learners, but it is not a requirement for graduation,” Dig-Dino said in a press conference.
Dig-Dino emphasized that the purpose of NAT12 is really for systems evaluation.
“It was created in response to the advice of Department of Budget and Management for DepEd to create a system of assessment of the SHS graduates after the free college education law was announced,” Dig-Dino said.
Dig-Dino added they intended to give the test, which was already on Jan. 8, 2018, to all grade 12 students before graduation but there had been failure in the bidding for a printing services provider that can print and deliver all the exam copies on time.
DepEd has scheduled the test in May and the department encourages all SHS graduates to participate.
“Hopefully, the students will take it even during summer, so the schools will also know how they are performing as implementors of K to 12,” Dig-Dino said. (Ma. Teresa Montemayor/PNA)
