Philippines: Gatchalian refiles bill on learning recovery program to address learning poverty

PHILIPPINES, August 15 - Press Release
August 15, 2022

Gatchalian refiles bill on learning recovery program to address learning poverty

Amid the alarming level of learning poverty in the country, Senator Win Gatchalian has refiled a bill that seeks to institute a nationwide learning recovery program to address the impact of prolonged school closures because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program Act or Senate Bill No. 150 is one of Gatchalian's top ten priority measures for the 19th Congress. The

ARAL program, which will include well-systematized tutorial sessions and well-designed remediation plans, is his proposed national core strategy to allow learners to catch up with the rest of the world despite their learning loss.

Using pre-pandemic data, the World Bank estimates that learning poverty in the Philippines has reached 90.5%. This means that nine out of 10 Filipino children aged 10 cannot read or understand a simple story.

The proposed ARAL Program ensures that learners are ensured optimal instructional time to ensure mastery of essential competencies and make up for learning loss. The proposed program targets those learners who did not enroll for School Year 2020-2021, those lagging academically, and are at and marginally above the minimum level of mastery required in Language, Mathematics, and Science.

The ARAL program will also prioritize Reading to develop the critical and analytical thinking skills of learners. For Kindergarten learners, the ARAL program will focus on building foundational competencies aimed at strengthening their literacy and numeracy.

Teachers and para-teachers who will serve as tutors under the ARAL program will receive proper remuneration for their services. Tertiary level students who will volunteer as tutors for a period of two semesters shall be deemed to have completed the Literacy Training Service under the National Service Training Program (NSTP).

"Upang tuloy tuloy na makabangon ang sektor ng edukasyon mula sa pinsalang dulot ng pandemya, kailangan nating magpatupad ng malawakang programa para sa learning recovery. Titiyakin nating matututukan natin ang pangangailangan ng ating mga mag-aaral upang hindi sila mapag-iwanan pagdating sa kanilang kaalaman," said Gatchalian.

Based on a December 2021 report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, UNICEF, and the World Bank, learning poverty will increase by as much as 10% points in lower-middle income countries like the Philippines because of COVID-19 school closures.

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Panukalang learning recovery program muling inihain ni Gatchalian

Sa gitna ng mataas at nakakabahalang antas ng learning poverty sa bansa, muling inihain ni Senador Win Gatchalian ang isang panukalang batas na layong magpatupad ng learning recovery program sa buong bansa upang tugunan ang epekto ng matagal na pagsasara ng mga paaralan dahil sa pandemya ng COVID-19.

Ang Senate Bill No. 150 o ang Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program Act ay isa sa mga prayoridad na panukalang batas ni Gatchalian ngayong 19th Congress. Itinuturing ni Gatchalian ang ARAL Program bilang kanyang pambansang estratehiya upang makahabol ang mga mag-aaral ng bansa sa ibang mga mag-aaral sa mundo, lalo na't hinaharap nila ang pinsalang dulot ng learning loss. Bahagi ng panukalang ARAL Program ang mga sistematikong tutorial sessions at remediation plans na angkop sa pangangailangan ng mga mag-aaral.

Batay sa datos na nakalap pa bago mag-pandemya, tinataya ng World Bank na umabot na sa mahigit siyamnapung (90.5) porsyento ang learning poverty sa bansa. Ibig sabihin, siyam sa sampung batang may edad na sampu ang hindi marunong bumasa o umunawa ng maikling kwento.

Tinitiyak ng panukalang ARAL Program na ang mga mag-aaral ay makakatanggap ng sapat na oras para sa pagtuturo upang makabisado nila ang essential competencies at maiwasan ang learning loss. Target ng panukalang programa ang mga mag-aaral na hindi nag-enroll sa School Year 2020-2021, ang mga nahuhuli sa kanilang pag-aaral, at ang mga nakamit ang minimum level ng mastery sa Language, Mathematics, at Science.

Bibigyan din ng prayoridad ng ARAL Program ang Reading upang mahasa ang critical and analytical thinking skills ng mga mag-aaral. Para sa mga mag-aaral sa Kindergarten, bibigyang prayoridad ng ARAL Program ang mga foundational competencies na layong magpapatatag sa kanilang kakayahan sa literacy at numeracy.

Magsisilbing mga tutors para sa ARAL Program ang mga guro at para-teachers na makakatanggap naman ng sapat na sahod para sa kanilang serbisyo. Ang mga mag-aaral sa kolehiyo na mag-boboluntaryo bilang mga tutors sa loob ng dalawang semestre ay ituturing na naka-kumpleto na ng Literacy Training Service sa ilalim ng National Service Training Program (NSTP).

"Upang tuloy tuloy na makabangon ang sektor ng edukasyon mula sa pinsalang dulot ng pandemya, kailangan nating magpatupad ng malawakang programa para sa learning recovery. Titiyakin nating matututukan natin ang pangangailangan ng ating mga mag-aaral upang hindi sila mapag-iwanan pagdating sa kanilang kaalaman," ani Gatchalian.

Batay sa isang ulat ng United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, UNICEF, at ng World Bank na lumabas noong Disyembre 2021, maaaring umakyat ng sampung percentage points ang learning poverty sa mga lower-middle income countries tulad ng Pilipinas dahil sa pagsasara ng mga paaralan.