Gatchalian: ARAL program, curriculum reforms to build on PH’s PISA gains
Philippine Senate President Win Gatchalian is advocating for continued funding of the ARAL program following the country's improved PISA performance. Despite the program's success in reducing the number of struggling readers, it currently lacks funding in the 2027 budget.
Why it matters
Education policy and funding allocation are central to national development and long-term economic growth.
FOLLOWING the Philippines' improved performance in the 2025 round of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Senate President Win Gatchalian said that learning recovery efforts and curriculum reforms will further improve Filipino learners' performance.Gatchalian cited the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) program as a key intervention in addressing learning gaps.An impact evaluation conducted by nonprofit organization Youth Impact, in collaboration with the Department of Education (DepEd) and the World Bank, found that the program resulted in 4.5 million fewer struggling readers in School Year 2025-2026.While the ARAL program received P8.9 billion this year,…
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