SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian on Friday expressed optimism that the summer rollout of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program will help improve student proficiency as the government continues efforts to address persistent learning gaps.

The Department of Education (DepEd) earlier announced that it will conduct summer remediation classes from May 6 to June 3 under the ARAL Program, targeting learners who need additional academic support.

Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Finance, noted that the initiative received a historic ₱8.96 billion allocation under the 2026 national budget.

The funding is expected to benefit about 6.7 million learners nationwide and mobilize approximately 440,000 tutors to support learning recovery efforts.

The senator, who authored and sponsored Republic Act No. 12028, emphasized the importance of ensuring that the program reaches students who need it most.

“Mahalagang matiyak na tunay na maaabot ng ARAL Program ang mga mag-aaral na higit na nangangailangan ng tulong. Kapag epektibo natin itong naipatupad, magiging malaking hakbang ito sa pag-ahon natin mula sa krisis sa edukasyon,” Gatchalian said.

To support implementation, DepEd has committed to provide learning materials, teacher incentives, health assistance, and free meals for participating students.

The ARAL Program forms part of the government’s broader strategy to address pandemic-related learning losses and strengthen foundational competencies among Filipino learners.