The enactment of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program (Senate Bill No. 1604), which Senator Win Gatchalian filed and sponsored, will be crucial in accelerating learning recovery, a top priority of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. ‘s education agenda.
In his second State of the Nation Address (SONA), the chief executive expressed renewed hope in providing the best education to the country’s students, especially the 28.4 million learners who returned to school. After almost two years of remote and blended learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic, full face-to-face classes resumed in public schools on November 2, 2022.
The lack of face-to-face classes, however, has been linked to learning loss, with the World Bank estimating learning poverty in the country at 90.9% as of June 2022. This alarming figure indicates that 9 out 10 Filipino children aged 10 cannot read or understand a simple story.
The World Bank also projected a decline in Learning-Adjusted Years of Schooling (LAYS) from 7.5 years to 5.7 – 6.1 years, which means that 12 years of basic education would only be equivalent to around 6 years because of the pandemic’s impact.
The ARAL Program Act, which the Senate already approved on third and final reading last March, seeks to address learning loss by accelerating learning recovery and mitigating the effects of the pandemic. The proposed ARAL Program will give learners access to well-systematized tutorial sessions and well-designed intervention plans.
“Nagpapasalamat ako sa Pangulo sa pagkilala niya sa kahalagahan ng learning recovery upang matugunan ang pinsalang dulot ng pandemya sa ating mga mag-aaral. Dahil sa mensahe ng ating Pangulo, umaasa ako na maisasabatas na natin ang panukala nating ARAL Program Act upang matiyak ang patuloy na pagbangon ng sektor ng edukasyon,” said Gatchalian, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.
The President also emphasized the strengthening of literacy and numeracy skills, which aligns with one of the key objectives of the ARAL bill.
