AS approximately 28 million learners return to public schools for School Year 2026–2027, Senate President Pro Tempore Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is calling for a stronger and more urgent focus on learning recovery across the country.

Gatchalian emphasized that the opening of the new school year presents a critical opportunity to strengthen the implementation of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program, a government initiative aimed at helping struggling learners regain essential competencies through targeted tutorial sessions and academic support.

The senator highlighted the program’s historic ₱8.9-billion budget allocation, which is expected to benefit around 6.7 million learners in Reading and 8.08 million learners in Mathematics.

The funding also provides for the hiring of approximately 440,000 tutors to support the nationwide rollout of remedial learning interventions and help address persistent learning gaps among students.

According to Gatchalian, the implementation of a three-term academic calendar will further strengthen the ARAL Program by providing dedicated periods for intervention and enrichment activities.

Under the new academic setup, each term will include an end-of-term break that can be used for remediation programs, academic enrichment, co-curricular activities, teacher training, and student wellness initiatives.

“Sa pagbubukas ng panibagong taon ng pag-aaral, kailangang tiyakin nating nabibigyan ng sapat na suporta ang bawat mag-aaral, lalo na ang mga nahihirapang makahabol sa klase. Sa pamamagitan ng ARAL program, mas mapapalakas ang pundasyon ng mga bata sa Reading, Math, at Science upang walang mapag-iiwanan sa pagkatuto,” Gatchalian said.

Education stakeholders are expected to closely monitor the implementation of the program as schools reopen, with a focus on addressing learning gaps that widened due to previous disruptions and ensuring that students receive sustained academic support throughout the school year.