REPRESENTATIVES Roman Romulo and Jose Francisco Benitez are urging the Department of Education to suspend the regular academic program for eight to 12 weeks.

House Resolution 1805 filed by the two lawmakers aims to implement an effective learning recovery program that ensures learners attain functional literacy and numeracy.

In their resolution, the solons cited a World Bank study revealing that nine out of 10 Filipino children aged 10 are unable to read and understand a simple text appropriate for their age while the learning gap is estimated at 5.5 years.

They also noted that the Philippines has consistently ranked among the lowest in international large-scale assessments such as the Programme for International Student Assessment evaluating reading, mathematics, and science literacy of 15-year-old students, Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics measuring the learning achievements of Grade 5 students in reading, writing, mathematics, and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study assessing the mathematics and science achievements of Grade 4 students.

The lawmakers pointed out that there is a critical need to address learning gaps and ensure students achieve the necessary academic standards to advance successfully in their educational journey.

The resolution also stressed the need for the Department of Education to develop a detailed plan for the learning recovery program, specifying the objectives, schedules, instructional strategies, and assessment methods, designed to provide targeted instruction and support to help the students attain functional literacy and numeracy.

They added the DepEd’s system needs to be equipped to analyze and make decisions based on the data from comprehensive literacy assessments to ensure proper monitoring of learners’ literacy outcomes.

The DepEd, the lawmakers further said, must ensure that the teachers are given capacity-building activities and adequate instructional materials before the implementation of the learning recovery program.