The Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday assured direct support to teachers serving as tutors in public schools under the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program.

This is in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to ensure the welfare of public school educators and advance quality education.

In a statement, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said proper compensation will be provided to teachers who are rendering service to the agency’s remediation program, which focuses on Reading, Science, and Mathematics.

“Sinisiguro natin na sa pagpapalawak ng ARAL program, hindi ma-overburden ang ating mga guro – mananatili sa itinakdang limitasyon ang kanilang workload at mababayaran nang tama ang kanilang extra service (We are ensuring that amid the expansion of the ARAL program, our teachers will not be overburdened – the set limitations on workload will remain and their extra service will be properly compensated),” he said.

Under the program. teachers serving as tutors during weekdays will be entitled to teaching overload pay, provided they exceed the prescribed six-hour actual classroom teaching load.

During weekends, holidays, and long vacation periods, teachers may earn Vacation Service Credits (VSCs), with one hour of service equivalent to 1.5 hours of VSC.

“Magiging matagumpay lang ang pagbabago sa ating sistema ng edukasyon kung sabay nating aalagaan ang ating mga mag-aaral at ang mga gurong gumagabay sa kanila (The reforms in the education system will only be successful if we do it while upholding the welfare of our learners and the teachers guiding them),” Angara said.

Nearly PHP2 billion has been earmarked to expand tutor support under the ARAL program.

The budget increase is a major scale-up from the PHP150 million previously sourced through the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD) Program and Government Internship Program (GIP).

Schools currently have access to PHP1.09 billion in existing ARAL funds, while an additional PHP1.77 billion is scheduled for release.

This will cover teaching and learning resources, session support materials such as flashcards, visual aids, and essential monitoring activities.

For 2026, the ARAL Program has a total budget of PHP8.94 billion, with more than PHP2.25 billion allocated for learning materials.

While DepEd acknowledges that current funding remains insufficient to cover all requirements, the agency is maximizing the available budget to address critical expenses and support schools.

To further alleviate the pressure on school-level resources, the department is actively processing support funds to facilitate both the training and prompt mobilization of tutors.

The DepEd is also set to launch an online platform for applicants within June.

The platform seeks to simplify the mobilization and training of tutors, including qualified external professionals, to supplement school personnel. (PNA)