DepEd Starts ARAL Program vs Learning Crisis

The Department of Education formally issued a memorandum directing all schools to implement the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Reading program in phases, as part of the government's efforts to address the country's learning crisis.

- By BELLA CARIASO

DepEd Undersecretary and chief of staff Fatima Panontongan issued DepEd Memorandum 64, addressed to all concerned public and private school officials, directing them to implement the ARAL-Reading program.

"The ARAL-Reading aims to provide timely, responsive and effective support to learners who fall below the expected reading proficiency levels, enabling them to catch up with the grade-level expectations set by the DepEd," Panontongan said.

She added that DepEd Memorandum 64 operationalizes the implementation of the ARAL-Reading for key stages 1 to 3, in accordance with Republic Act (RA) 12028 or An Act Establishing an ARAL Program.