As the Philippines marks National Reading Month this November, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian underscored the need to improve the reading proficiency of Filipino students to address the ongoing education crisis.
In a news release published by his office Monday, Gatchalian highlighted the role of the newly enacted Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Law under Republic Act No. 12028 in tackling this challenge.
The ARAL Program, championed by Gatchalian, is a nationwide initiative aimed at helping students master key learning competencies and recover from learning gaps.
Through structured tutorial sessions and targeted interventions, the program seeks to enhance literacy, with a particular focus on reading skills.
It covers essential competencies in reading and mathematics for Grades 1 to 10, and science for Grades 3 to 10, while also strengthening the foundational literacy and numeracy skills of kindergarten students.
Gatchalian pointed to international assessments as a stark reminder of the need for urgent action.
In the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the Philippines ranked 76th out of 81 countries in reading proficiency, with 76 percent of Filipino 15-year-olds failing to meet minimum reading standards.
“As we work to overcome the country’s education crisis, ensuring that our students can read and comprehend what they read is a critical step,” the senator stated in Filipino.
“By enforcing the ARAL Program, alongside our other literacy initiatives, we can help our youth establish a strong foundation for learning,” added Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Basic Education.
To promote a culture of reading, Gatchalian is also advocating for the institutionalization of National Reading Month every November.
He proposed the National Reading Month Act under Senate Bill No. 475, which seeks to organize reading activities across schools and communities to foster lifelong reading habits among students.
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