Legarda joins Manila school visit, emphasizes ARAL Program’s role in helping struggling learners

Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education and Co-Chairperson of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), joined the site visit to Senator Benigno S. Aquino, Jr. Elementary School and President Corazon C. Aquino High School in Baseco, Manila on May 26, 2026 to observe how the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program is being implemented in classrooms.

“As Chair of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, I want to see firsthand how our policies are being felt by learners inside the classroom. The ARAL Program is crucial because it gives children who struggle in reading, math, and science a fair chance to recover and succeed. Every hour of teaching can change the course of their future,” Legarda said.

The ARAL Program was established under Republic Act No. 12028, which Legarda co-authored and was signed into law on October 16, 2024. It provides targeted support for learners struggling in reading, mathematics, and science through tutorial sessions, learner-centered intervention plans, accessible delivery modes, trained tutors, and holistic learner support mechanisms. DepEd Order No. 010, s. 2026 operationalizes these interventions through ARAL Summer Reading, ARAL Summer Mathematics, and Senior High School Remediation Programs.

Legarda observed elementary and secondary classes under the ARAL Summer Reading and Remediation Programs, focusing on classroom environments, learning resources, and teaching strategies.

“The most important guidance for us comes from the voices of parents, teachers, and the learners themselves. Their experiences with ARAL will help us refine the program and make it more effective,” Legarda said.

Citing EDCOM II data, Legarda pointed to the scale of the literacy challenge. Many learners remain unable to read by Grade 3. Across grade levels, one in four students struggles with reading. In Key Stage 3 covering Grades 7 to 10, more than 80 percent of learners fall behind. Even more concerning, data for Grade 11 showed that 87 percent of students were not independent readers. Legarda stressed that these figures reflect an education crisis that requires urgent action.

The four-term senator also delivered a lecture to students on Republic Act No. 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, which she authored and principally sponsored. She highlighted the importance of proper waste segregation and responsible disposal of garbage, noting that ecological awareness cultivated in schools equips learners with both academic skills and a lasting commitment to environmental stewardship.

The site visit concluded with a plenary discussion facilitated by EDCOM II, reaffirming its mandate to recommend transformative reforms that will strengthen Philippine education and ensure global competitiveness. (30)

Legarda dumalo sa pagbisita sa paaralan sa Maynila, binibigyang-diin ang papel ng ARAL Program sa mga nahihirapang mag-aaral

Dumalo si Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, Chairperson ng Senate Committee on Basic Education at Co-Chairperson ng Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), sa site visit sa Senator Benigno S. Aquino Jr. Elementary School at President Corazon C. Aquino High School sa Baseco, Maynila noong Mayo 26, 2026 upang obserbahan ang pagpapatupad ng Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program sa mga silid-aralan.

“Bilang Chair ng Senate Committee on Basic Education, nais kong makita mismo kung paano nararamdaman ng mga mag-aaral sa loob ng klase ang ating mga polisiya. Mahalaga ang ARAL Program dahil binibigyan nito ng patas na pagkakataon ang mga batang nahihirapan sa pagbasa, matematika, at agham na makabawi at matuto. Bawat oras ng pagtuturo ay maaaring magbago ng direksyon ng kanilang kinabukasan,” ani Legarda.

Itinatag ang ARAL Program sa ilalim ng Republic Act No. 12028 na co-author si Legarda at nilagdaan bilang batas noong Oktubre 16, 2024. Layunin nitong magbigay ng nakatuon at sistematikong suporta sa mga mag-aaral na nahihirapan sa pagbasa, matematika, at agham sa pamamagitan ng tutorial sessions, learner-centered intervention plans, accessible delivery modes, mga sinanay na tutor, at holistic learner support mechanisms. Ipinatupad ito ng DepEd Order No. 010, s. 2026 sa pamamagitan ng ARAL Summer Reading, ARAL Summer Mathematics, at Senior High School Remediation Programs.

Personal na inobserbahan ni Legarda ang mga klase sa elementarya at sekondarya sa ilalim ng ARAL Summer Reading at Remediation Programs, na nakatuon sa kapaligiran ng silid-aralan, learning resources, at teaching strategies.

“Ang pinakamahalagang gabay para sa atin ay nagmumula sa boses ng mga magulang, guro, at mismong mga mag-aaral. Ang kanilang karanasan sa ARAL ang tutulong sa atin na mas mapahusay ang programa,” ani Legarda.

Ipinunto ni Legarda ang datos mula sa EDCOM II na nagpapakita ng lawak ng hamon sa literacy. Maraming mag-aaral ang nananatiling hindi marunong bumasa sa Grade 3. Sa iba’t ibang antas, isa sa apat na estudyante ang nahihirapan sa pagbasa. Sa Key Stage 3 (Grades 7 hanggang 10), higit 80 porsyento ang nahuhuli. Mas nakababahala pa, lumabas sa datos ng Grade 11 na 87 porsyento ng mga estudyante ay hindi pa independent readers. Binigyang-diin ni Legarda na malinaw na senyales ito ng education crisis na nangangailangan ng agarang aksyon.

Nagbigay din si Legarda ng lecture sa mga estudyante hinggil sa Republic Act No. 9003, ang Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, na siya ang may-akda at pangunahing nag-sponsor. Binanggit niya ang kahalagahan ng tamang segregation at responsableng pagtatapon ng basura, at kung paanong ang ecological awareness na nahuhubog sa paaralan ay nagbibigay sa mga mag-aaral ng parehong akademikong kasanayan at pangmatagalang malasakit sa kalikasan.

Natapos ang site visit sa plenary discussion na pinangunahan ng EDCOM II, na muling nagpatibay sa mandato nitong magrekomenda ng mga repormang magpapalakas sa edukasyon ng Pilipinas at magtitiyak ng pandaigdigang kompetitibidad. (30)