THE ENACTMENT of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning bill or ARAL Program will be crucial in accelerating learning recovery, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said.

The proposed ARAL Program will give learners access to well-systematized tutorial sessions and well-designed intervention plans.

In his second State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. expressed renewed hope in providing the best education to students, especially the 28.4 million learners who returned to school.

“Nagpapasalamat ako sa Pangulo sa pagkilala niya sa kahalagahan ng learning recovery upang matugunan ang pinsalang dulot ng pandemya sa ating mga mag-aaral,” Gatchalian said.

“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,” the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education added.

The President also emphasized the strengthening of literacy and numeracy skills, which aligns with one of the key objectives of the ARAL bill.

After almost two years of remote and blended learning because of the Covid19 pandemic, full face-to-face classes resumed in public schools on November 2, 2022.

The lack of face-to-face classes has been linked to learning loss, with the World Bank estimating learning poverty in the country at 90.9 percent 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 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, seeks to address learning loss by accelerating learning recovery and mitigating the effects of the pandemic.