TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Education in Eastern Visayas (DepEd-8) is prioritizing the full rollout of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program this school year to address learning gaps, particularly in reading comprehension and numeracy skills.

DepEd-8 Officer-in-Charge Ronelo Al Firmo said the program is a top priority following results of the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), which ranked Eastern Visayas second lowest in basic and functional literacy nationwide. The findings align with DepEd’s own assessments in the region.

“Our focus now is on ARAL. As much as possible, there should be no non-readers from kindergarten up to Grade 12,” Firmo said, adding that the program will be implemented starting the last week of August or first week of September.

Earlier, DepEd-8 introduced Project STARS (Strategic Techniques for Accelerating Readiness Skills), an initiative to strengthen reading proficiency and teaching efficiency. This will be integrated into ARAL to ensure regular assessment and progress monitoring.

Despite Leyte Division topping reading and numeracy performance in the PSA survey, interventions remain critical. Under the ARAL program, struggling learners will receive free tutorials in their respective schools after the Beginning of School Year (BOSY) assessment.
According to Rex Briones, education program supervisor for DepEd-Leyte, ARAL sessions for Grades 2 to 10 will start on August 26, while Grade 1 learners will join on October 27, 2025. Learners will be re-evaluated at the End of School Year (EOSY) assessment, with those showing improvement exiting the program, while others will continue.

DepEd-Leyte has launched intensive advocacy efforts to prepare schools, visiting municipalities such as Alang-Alang, Carigara, Jaro, Tunga, and others. Leyte National High School, the largest public secondary school in the region with 8,500 students, has submitted its ARAL School Readiness and Responsiveness Audit (ASRRA), detailing its facilities, tools, and tutor assignments.

The ARAL program, implemented under DepEd Memorandum 64, series of 2025, follows the finalization of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act 12028 (ARAL Law) signed last year by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The President reaffirmed his commitment to improving the education system in his 4th State of the Nation Address.
Out of 1.2 million learners in the region, about 300,000 are expected to benefit from ARAL this year. DepEd hopes the program will help bridge learning gaps and improve overall educational outcomes.

(CBA/PIA EASTERN VISAYAS)