President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday signed into law a measure that aims to accelerate learning recovery and improve the quality of education in the country.

Marcos signed the Republic Act 12028  or Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program Act into law during a ceremony at Malacañan Palace in Manila. 

The ARAL law was included in the priority measures identified by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), chaired by Marcos. 

It aims to create a free national learning intervention program designed to help struggling learners catch up with the required standards for their grade levels.

In his speech, Marcos stressed the importance of RA 12028 in addressing the learning gaps in the Philippines. 

Citing the 2018 Program for International Student Assessment, Marcos lamented the staggering 75 percent of Filipino learners “fell below the minimum proficiency levels in reading, mathematics and science.”

“This disheartening trend remained alarmingly the same, highlighting the urgency of the learning crisis that we confront today. It is imperative therefore that we acknowledge this massive challenge, determine the necessary steps, and prioritize the implementation of learning interventions,” Marcos said.

The President said the ARAL Law will pave the way for the government to confront the broader challenges of mastering essential competencies and recovering from the learning loss through structured tutorial sessions.

“With the signing of the ARAL Law, we embark on a definite journey to champion the right of every Filipino child to quality education, ensuring as well that it is accessible to all,” he added.

Under the law, the Department of Education (DepEd) will spearhead the ARAL Program, a free national learning intervention program that will tap teachers and para-teachers, and pre-service teachers or those students enrolled in a teacher degree program offered by Teacher Education Institutions to help struggling learners attain the competencies set by the agency.

It will focus on improving students' competencies in essential learning areas, including reading and mathematics for Grades 1 to 10, and science for Grades 3 to 10.

The ARAL Program also centers on building foundational skills of the Kindergarten learners to strengthen their literacy and numeracy competencies.

Tutorial sessions will be conducted in three flexible delivery modes to ensure the effectiveness and accessibility of learning.

The learners have the option to choose either face-to-face tutorials, online tutorials, or blended learning, depending on their needs and circumstances.

The DepEd shall conduct an annual evaluation and collect comparable data to determine the impact of the program on the students.

The impact evaluation will be submitted to Congress in no later than six months after the end of every school year of implementation.