SENATOR Nancy Binay raised concerns about the Department of Education’s readiness to implement the Eight-Week Literacy and Numeracy Program.

Binay questioned how DepEd would implement the program when the National Learning Recovery Program (NLRP) is not yet fully operational.

“For me, the NLRP isn’t fully implemented because students still don’t have the necessary materials. Now, we’re starting another catch-up program. Can DepEd handle both programs simultaneously?” Binay asked.

“The NLRP has been in place for a while, and now we’re launching another program?” she added.

Binay emphasized the need for government funding to support sustainable programs.

The NLRP aims to address the Philippines’ poor performance in international assessments such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM), and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) by improving foundational skills in reading, mathematics, and science.