DepEd sees fewer struggling readers in schools

MANILA, Philippines —The number of struggling readers in public schools has dropped since the beginning of the school year, the Department of Education (DepEd) reported yesterday.

Pointing to the implementation of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program as a key factor behind the improvement, DepEd said the improvement was reflected in the middle of school year assessments, which logged a 96-percent submission rate as of Jan. 5.

Among Grades 3 to 6, reading readiness increased by an average of five points, while learners in Grades 7 to 10 posted higher gains of six to nine points.

These assessment results indicate that around 3.42 million learners in Grades 3 to 6 and 1.72 million in Grades 7 to 10 have moved closer to grade-level proficiency in reading.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara attributed the progress to structured remediation, focused tutorial sessions and regular monitoring of learners under ARAL.

He noted that these interventions are set to be expanded and standardized once the program receives full funding in 2026.

On Monday, the Marcos administration approved the allocation of P8.93 billion for the ARAL Program as the President signed the 2026 national budget, marking the first time the initiative will be fully funded since it was institutionalized into law.

With increased resources, DepEd plans to engage more than 440,000 tutors nationwide, including volunteers and non-DepEd personnel.