Manila: Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda emphasized the significance of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program, which provides essential support for struggling learners in reading, mathematics, and science. The program aims to offer these learners a fair chance to recover and succeed through targeted interventions.
According to Philippines News Agency, Legarda, who chairs the Senate Committee on Basic Education and co-chairs the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), recently visited Senator Benigno S. Aquino Jr. Elementary School and President Corazon C. Aquino High School in Baseco, Manila. The purpose of the visit was to observe the implementation of the ARAL Program and assess its impact on students.
Legarda expressed her commitment to ensuring that educational policies have a tangible effect on students within the classroom. She highlighted the ARAL Program's role in providing struggling learners with an opportunity to improve their skills and secure a better future. The program was established under Republic Act 12028, which Legarda co-authored, and became law on October 16, 2024.
The ARAL Program offers tutorial sessions, learner-centered intervention plans, accessible delivery modes, trained tutors, and holistic support mechanisms to assist learners in need. It operates under Department of Education Order 010, series of 2026, and includes ARAL Summer Reading, ARAL Summer Mathematics, and Senior High School Remediation Programs.
During her site visit, Legarda observed the classroom environment, learning resources, and teaching strategies used in the ARAL Summer Reading and Remediation Programs. She underscored the importance of feedback from parents, teachers, and learners in refining the program to better meet the needs of students.
Legarda noted that data from EDCOM II reveals significant reading gaps across grade levels, reinforcing the necessity of programs like ARAL that offer timely and focused support to prevent students from falling further behind. In addition to her focus on education, Legarda also addressed environmental responsibility by discussing Republic Act 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, with students, emphasizing the role of schools in fostering discipline and civic responsibility.
The visit concluded with a plenary discussion facilitated by EDCOM II, aimed at recommending reforms to strengthen Philippine education and enhance learner outcomes.
