The Department of Education (DepEd) is further boosting the implementation of its Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) program to sustain progress in learning recovery within basic education.

The ARAL program, created under Republic Act 12028, provides struggling learners nationwide with remediation sessions in reading, mathematics and science with the aid of public school teachers, licensed para-teachers, pre-service educators and trained community tutors nationwide.

A recent study by Youth Impact, a global education non-profit specializing in evidence-based programming and evaluation, in partnership with the World Bank, cited significant gains under ARAL, resulting in 4.5 million fewer struggling readers and 2.5 million more learners achieving grade-level readiness.

In a statement, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said this learning recovery effort is not a “one-off campaign” but a continuous commitment to strengthen and advance a “resilient educational core.”

“With President Bongbong Marcos’ strong commitment to education reform, we are building a system where foundational reading support leads to lasting success,” Angara said.

“Through the continued partnership of our teachers, tutors, and local communities, we are turning policy into real, measurable opportunities for every Filipino child. We will continue to refine these interventions to ensure early gains carry through to higher grade levels,” he added.

The Youth Impact study recognized ARAL’s approach for its initial year of rollout, which includes placing learners by actual skill level instead of age levels.

It also credited the program’s strategy in terms of progress tracking, direct teacher coaching and provision of support to struggling schools.

The DepEd’s data systems for ARAL were also highlighted in helping advance quick delivery of support to areas with the highest needs.

The study estimated a 9 percentage-point drop in struggling readers, which translates to an additional 1.37 million children lifted from the lowest reading bracket.

It also found a 4.8 percentage-point increase in grade-level reading proficiency, equivalent to an estimated 730,000 more learners achieving this standard nationwide.

Angara said these favorable results show the effectiveness of targeted and evidence-based learning measures.

“When we passed the ARAL law, our goal was simple yet urgent: to ensure no learner is left behind simply because they needed more time or a different approach to master reading,” he said.

Moving forward, the Youth Impact recommended further strengthening the ARAL program through protection of dedicated classroom time for basic literacy.

The grouping of learners by skill level, it said, must also be refined as well as the need to shift from administrative paperwork to active teacher coaching. (PNA)