(Niño Jesus Orbeta/Philippine Daily Inquirer / file photo)
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate approved on second reading the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program Act on Monday.
Senate Bill No. 1604, seeking to establish the ARAL Program, was sponsored by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian during the plenary session.
The measure aims to provide a national learning intervention program which will be grounded on systematic tutorial sessions, well-designed intervention plans and learning resources, and effective and accessible delivery modes for tutors and learners, among others.
Under the bill, the program will cover essential learning competencies under the K to 12 curriculum, including the subjects of language, mathematics, and science.
Reading and numeracy will be prioritized under the proposed ARAL Program.
Teachers and para-teachers will be tasked to tutor learners under the program as long as the children are not their own students.
The Department of Education will coordinate with the Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Information and Communications Technology, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government for the program’s implementation.
According to the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics 2019, only 10 percent of students in the Philippines reached the minimum reading standard and 17 percent met the minimum mathematical standard expected at the end of primary education.
ARAL Program Act