SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian on Thursday highlighted the need to ensure that children’s welfare and rights will be upheld during Covid19 recovery efforts.

Gatchalian made the call as the country celebrates National Children’s Month.

The senator said that school closures and restrictions on children’s movement took a toll on their well-being and safety.

While the government has started the vaccination of minors and as the pilot test of limited face- to-face classes nears, Gatchalian batted for a learning recovery program to mitigate the effects of prolonged school closures.

The lawmaker earlier filed Senate Bill 2355 which seeks to establish a learning recovery program known as the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning.

The program will cover the most essential learning competencies under Language and Mathematics for Grades 1 to 10 and Science for Grades 3 to 10. For Kindergarten learners, literacy and numeracy competencies will be strengthened.

The proposed program will target those who did not enroll last school year and those who are struggling to master the minimum level of mastery required in Language, Mathematics and Science.

It also seeks the adequate provision of nutritional, social, emotional and mental health support to learners.

“Matinding pinsala ang dulot ng Covid19 sa ating mga kabataan kaya naman sa ating pagbangon mula sa pandemya, dapat nating tiyaking hindi sila mapag-iiwanan,” the chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, said.

Gatchalian also highlighted the need to prioritize the safe reopening of schools in the 2022 national budget.

He earlier said that the P358 million allocated for Priority School Health Facilities might not be adequate to ensure water, sanitation and health facilities in schools that still lack them.

The lawmaker also sought to increase funding for the Early Childhood Care and Development Council, an attached agency of the Department of Education.

The proposed P71.9 million allocation for the agency in 2022 is 59 percent lower than this year’s budget.