SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian on Tuesday (12 Aug 2025) welcomed the reported decline in the number of struggling readers among Filipino learners, describing it as a positive sign that ongoing education reforms are producing results.

“I take heart in the significant improvement in the reading proficiency of our learners—a clear sign that our efforts are bearing fruit,” said Gatchalian.

“With the ARAL Program in full swing, we can accelerate our learning recovery and bring the number of non-readers even closer to zero,” he added.

The senator stressed the need for the Department of Education to build on the gains of its learning recovery initiatives, emphasizing that no child should reach Grade 3 without knowing how to read.

“Wala nang batang dapat makaabot sa Grade 3 nang hindi marunong bumasa,” Gatchalian said, adding that as chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, he will ensure adequate funding and support to address the education crisis.

The ARAL, or Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning Program, is one of DepEd’s flagship initiatives aimed at reversing pandemic-era learning losses, with a focus on improving literacy and numeracy skills among early-grade learners.