DepEd seeks pay for ARAL tutors
A security guard screens students with a handheld metal detector and inspects their bags before they enter a school in Tondo, Manila, on Tuesday.
PHOTOGRAPH by Toto Lozano for DAILY TRIBUNE
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A security guard screens students with a handheld metal detector and inspects their bags before they enter a school in Tondo, Manila, on Tuesday.
PHOTOGRAPH by Toto Lozano for DAILY TRIBUNE
The Department of Education (DepEd) is seeking congressional support for a proposal to provide separate compensation to public school teachers who serve as tutors under the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program, citing the need for a clear legal basis and additional funding.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara said DepEd supports recognizing the additional workload shouldered by teachers implementing the learning recovery initiative.
However, he stressed that any compensation must comply with existing laws and available budget allocations.
“The DepEd’s position is clear: We want to support and recognize the additional work of our teachers under the ARAL Program. But we also have to comply with the law and work within the budget allocated to us. We will provide compensation if there is a clear legal basis and sufficient funding for it,” Angara said.
In letters sent to congressional education leaders, Angara said the current ARAL Law, or Republic Act 12028, only allows compensation for DepEd teachers serving as tutors through overload pay after they complete the required six hours of actual classroom teaching.
DepEd also pointed out that the Fiscal Year 2026 General Appropriations Act does not provide a separate allocation to compensate DepEd teachers serving as ARAL tutors, regardless of their teaching load. Existing funds cover overload pay and the engagement of external tutors.
The department said it has studied possible mechanisms for providing separate compensation to teachers under the program.
It estimated that a uniform-rate scheme would require about P4.307 billion, while a compensation model based on the Prime Hourly Teaching Rate would need at least P7.266 billion.
However, DepEd said implementing either option would require amendments to the ARAL Law to allow compensation regardless of a teacher’s regular teaching load, as well as additional appropriations beginning School Year 2027–2028.
For School Year 2026–2027, DepEd said ARAL will proceed under the existing legal framework. Teachers may receive overload pay or vacation service credits, where applicable, while external tutors may be compensated in accordance with approved program guidelines and available funding.
P2.29B for literacy
Meanwhile, the DepEd has earmarked P2.29 billion under its School Innovation and Improvement Fund (SIIF) for 2026, expanding direct funding to public schools to strengthen literacy and numeracy programs and address persistent learning gaps nationwide.
The P2.289-billion fund will be released to eligible non-implementing unit public schools, including senior high schools, to support localized reading, mathematics, remediation and enrichment initiatives. “By downloading these funds straight to our schools, we empower them to implement practical, localized solutions to build strong reading and math foundations for every Filipino child,” Angara said.
Originally launched in 2025, SIIF initially covered 4,043 elementary and junior high schools in fourth- and fifth-class municipalities. DepEd said the pilot program posted an 84-percent utilization rate and benefited more than 405,000 learners.
