SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian commended the signing of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program Act or Republic Act No. 12028, which he said will boost efforts to address learning loss and the education crisis in the country.

The new law, authored and sponsored by Gatchalian, establishes the ARAL Program to provide national learning interventions grounded in well-structured tutorial sessions, well-designed intervention plans, and learning resources developed in consultation with curriculum experts and reading specialists, using a learner-centered approach. Effective and accessible delivery modes for tutors and learners are also emphasized.

The law covers learners from kindergarten to Grade 10 in public schools who have returned or are returning to school after a furlough, those below the minimum proficiency levels in reading, mathematics, and science, and those who are failing exams and tests during the school year.

The ARAL Program will focus on essential learning competencies under the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum, prioritizing reading and mathematics for Grades 1 to 10, and science for Grades 3 to 10. The program also aims to strengthen Kindergarten learners’ literacy and numeracy competencies.

Teachers, para-teachers, and pre-service teachers may serve as tutors under the program.

Teachers serving as tutors will be compensated subject to the provisions of the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers and the rules and regulations of the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). Compensation will be provided for teachers who have completed the required six hours of classroom teaching, and payments will not exceed two hours based on the Prime Hourly Teaching Rate.

Para-teachers will be compensated from the DepEd budget or the Special Education Fund of the local school board.

The law also recognizes services rendered by pre-service teachers as relevant teaching experience when applying for plantilla positions in DepEd.