ARAL program delivers ‘early success’ in reading proficiency – EDCOM

The Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program has begun showing early gains in students’ reading proficiency and grade-level readiness, according to the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), months after its nationwide rollout. 

During the initial analysis of the 2025-2026 Middle of School Year (MOSY) assessments, the agency has identified the nation’s “Most Improved Schools,” noting that students from several institutions across the country have successfully transitioned from “emerging or lower-level proficiency” in reading to “grade-ready” status. 

The data compares student performance from the Beginning of School Year (BOSY) to the recent MOSY results, highlighting that learning interventions are rapidly closing the long-standing academic gaps particularly those worsened by the pandemic.

In grade levels 1-3 or Key Stage 1, Malanday Elementary School in Marikina City took the lead carrying out a 36.77% increase from the previous 57.26% at the start to 94.03% by the middle of the school year. 

Don Gregorio Evangelista Memorial School in Zamboanga City also delivered major improvement, increasing its readiness metrics by 19.06%.

Melencio M. Castelo Elementary School in Quezon City has improved significantly among learners from Grades 4 to 6 outperforming their BOSY assessment, executing 100% readiness rate— a 30% increase from the previous 60% at the start of the school year. The momentum continued and was observed at the secondary level. 

San Jose National High School in Antipolo City which was also a top performer among students from Grades 7 to 10, also posing a 100% reading readiness.

It showed a major increase from their 61.70% at the beginning of the school year.

Tanza National Comprehensive High School in Cavite, performed a significant growth of a 42.85% increase in readiness.

The Department of Education (DepEd) highlighted that even the older students, who are greatly affected by the learning crisis, were able to recover, being provided with targeted academic assistance. 

EDCOM 2 Executive Director Karol Mark Yee, on January 25, said in a statement that the improvements in student performance are proof that with the right interventions, closing the gap from ‘emerging’ to ‘grade-ready’ is not impossible but achievable. 

“This demonstrates clearly that we have the capacity to put an end to this learning crisis—if we act urgently, learn how to prioritize, and invest properly,” Yee explained.

DepEd also reported that improvements plunged beyond the top-performing schools. 

The agency reported that overall reading readiness scores went up by around five points in Grade levels 3-6, constituting the improvement of 3.42 million students. 

Grades 7-10’s scores improved by six to nine points, bringing 1.72 million students closer to grade-level proficiency. 

Strengthening the program, almost PHP 9 billion has been allocated to significantly expand the program. 

DepEd Assistant Secretary for Learning Systems Strand Jerome Buenviaje said that the budget includes P3.77 billion for learning resources, program rollout, non-DepEd tutors compensation, P1.139 billion for teaching overload pay covering more than 17,000 teachers, P1.7 billion for tutor training, and P2.2 billion for textbooks and instructional materials.

The department also emphasized its aims to reach 6.7 million learners in SY 2026-2027, more than double the number served in 2025.

To support this expansion, over 440,000 tutors, including DepEd teachers and volunteer educators, will be mobilized nationwide, to reduce the workload and overtime of regular teachers. 

Created by the mandate of Republic Act No. 12028, the ARAL seeks to bridge the learning gaps in K-10 students, particularly in learning areas such as reading, mathematics, and science, by providing free, targeted interventions, tutorials, and resources, ensuring that no learner is left behind in combating learning deficiencies brought by the pandemic. 

It was one of the key pieces of legislation successfully advocated for by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), championed by  Senator Win Gatchalian and Representative Roman Romulo.