MANILA – Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda said the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program provides struggling students a fair opportunity to catch up and succeed in core subjects such as reading, mathematics, and science.

Legarda, who chairs the Senate Committee on Basic Education and serves as co-chairperson of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), made the statement during a site visit to Senator Benigno S. Aquino Jr. Elementary School and President Corazon C. Aquino High School in Baseco, Manila.

“As Chair of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, I want to see firsthand how our policies are being felt by learners inside the classroom. The ARAL Program is crucial because it gives children who struggle in reading, math, and science a fair chance to recover and succeed. Every hour of teaching can change the course of their future,” Legarda said.

The ARAL Program was created under Republic Act 12028, which Legarda co-authored and which was signed into law on Oct. 16, 2024.

It provides tutorial sessions, learner-centered intervention plans, accessible learning delivery modes, trained tutors, and support mechanisms for students needing additional academic assistance.

The program is being implemented through Department of Education Order No. 010, series of 2026, covering ARAL Summer Reading, ARAL Summer Mathematics, and Senior High School Remediation Programs.

During her visit, Legarda observed classes under the program and assessed classroom conditions, learning materials, and teaching approaches used in both elementary and secondary levels.

“The most important guidance for us comes from the voices of parents, teachers, and the learners themselves. Their experiences with ARAL will help us refine the program and make it more effective,” she said.

Legarda also cited EDCOM II findings showing persistent reading gaps across grade levels, underscoring the need for targeted interventions before students fall further behind.

Aside from the classroom visit, she delivered a lecture on Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, which she authored and sponsored, emphasizing the role of schools in promoting environmental responsibility.

She stressed the importance of proper waste segregation and disposal in building discipline, civic awareness, and environmental stewardship among learners.

The visit concluded with a plenary discussion facilitated by EDCOM II as part of ongoing efforts to craft recommendations aimed at improving Philippine education outcomes.