In support of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s agenda on education, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Thursday said it will push, together with the Department of Education (DepEd), to attain critical gains in institutionalizing literacy at the policy level with the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program.

Mandated under Republic Act 12028, the ARAL Program aims to provide free tutorials to learners from Kindergarten to Grade 10 who need assistance in reading, mathematics and science, whether through face-to-face, online or blended modalities.

Through a joint memorandum, the DILG and DepEd called for a synchronized effort to implement the ARAL Program, mobilizing local government units (LGUs) to counter illiteracy through the issuance of ordinances and executive orders supporting education and literacy.

This resulted in 441 cities and municipalities across the country issuing ordinances or executive orders, with 202 of these LGUs having established their Local Literacy Councils within their jurisdictions.

The DILG said these policies are currently transforming local efforts into impactful programs. “Through ARAL, the learning recovery of Filipino children is no longer the burden of schools alone but a shared responsibility of the entire government and community,” the department said.