SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian is emphasizing the urgent need to enhance learners’ reading proficiency to tackle the country’s education crisis, coinciding with the nationwide celebration of National Reading Month this November.

In light of the recent signing of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program Act, Gatchalian is optimistic about the implementation of well-structured tutorial sessions and organized intervention plans designed to boost literacy and reading skills among students.

Authored and sponsored by Gatchalian, the law establishes the ARAL Program, which aims to provide a national learning intervention framework to ensure mastery of essential competencies and mitigate learning loss.

The ARAL Program focuses on key learning competencies under the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum, specifically targeting reading and mathematics for Grades 1 to 10, and science for Grades 3 to 10. Additionally, it seeks to strengthen literacy and numeracy competencies for Kindergarten learners, laying a solid foundation for their education.

Gatchalian highlighted the urgency of this initiative by referencing results from international assessments. The 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment revealed that the Philippines ranked 76th out of 81 countries in reading, with 76% of the country’s 15-year-old learners failing to meet the minimum proficiency standard.

“Sa pagsugpo natin sa krisis sa edukasyon na hinaharap ng bansa, mahalagang hakbang ang pagtiyak na marunong bumasa at umunawa ng kanilang binabasa ang ating mga mag-aaral. Sa pagpapatupad ng ARAL Program at sa iba pang programang isinusulong natin para sa pagbasa, matutulungan natin ang ating mga kabataang magkaroon ng matibay na pundasyon sa kanilang pag-aaral,” said Gatchalian, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.

He is also advocating for the institutionalization of National Reading Month celebrations each November. His proposed National Reading Month Act, Senate Bill No. 475, aims to promote reading activities that foster a culture of reading among basic education learners and their communities.