Two measures from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) passed their respective hurdles in the legislative process today, December 16, 2024.
Department of Education Secretary Sonny Angara formally signed the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Republic Act 12028, known as the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program Law, aimed at addressing learning loss among basic education learners. Meanwhile, the Senate passed Senate Bill No. 2575, the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Bill, on its third and final reading, promising to enhance delivery of early childhood education services nationwide.
IRR of ARAL Program Act completed in record time by DepEd
The ARAL Program Law, co-authored by EDCOM 2 Co-Chairpersons Senator Win Gatchalian and Representative Roman Romulo, establishes a comprehensive national academic support system. It focuses on providing both face-to-face and online, or blended learning tutorial sessions for learners who are struggling academically. Additionally, it ensures adequate compensation for tutors, emphasizing the government’s commitment to educational recovery and quality teaching.
The law ensures the availability of support to address the country’s learning gap. Previous reports by the World Bank show that 9 out of 10 Filipino children aged 10 are unable to read and understand a simple text appropriate for their age, further estimating a learning gap of 5.5 years. Similar findings are seen in the PISA 2022 results, with over 75% of Filipino students being low performers in mathematics, science, reading, and creative thinking.
“Today marks a transformative milestone for our education sector. We are paving the way to fulfilling the promise we made to every Filipino learner, especially those who are struggling. I’d like to thank Secretary Sonny Angara. In 34 days from the effectivity of this Act, meron ng IRR. This is to make sure that no student is left behind,” said Senator Sherwin Gatchalian.
“Today we are signing another landmark piece of legislation. Noon iilan lang ang pwedeng magkaroon ng tutoring, ngayon under the Free National Learning Intervention Program nitong ARAL program, posible na para sa lahat ng mga mag-aaral na nangangailangan ng support lalo na sa reading, math, at science. This law is a concrete response to improve our PISA rankings and to confront the learning loss due to different circumstances,” said Senator Joel Villanueva, also an EDCOM 2 Commissioner
EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson Rep. Roman Romulo also expressed his support. “This law is very integral to the one objective we all want – quality education. Kailangan maayos talaga ang implementation nito. Through this law, wala dapat naiiwan, lalong lalo na yung ngangailangan talaga ng tutok. This is meant to go back to the foundational skills ng reading, mathematics, and science”
“There’s a lot more work to do in implementing this law and rest assured that the spirit of the law is respected and followed and that we really improve the foundational skills of our learners. We’d like to thank our colleagues in the House and Senate, as well as EDCOM 2, for all the hard work in pushing for this measure,” said DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara.
Landmark bill on ECCD passes on third and final reading
The Senate also passed Senate Bill No. 2575, or the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Act, on its third and final reading. This bill aims to further strengthen the early childhood education system in the country by the inclusion of the DILG in the ECCD Council’s Governing Board, establishing scholarship programs and providing plantilla positions for Child Development Teachers and Workers (CDTs and CDWs) nationwide. Previous EDCOM findings showed that 89% of them were on non-permanent contracts, and only had an average pay of P5,000 per month. .
“This measure is a first in a massive reform in our early childhood education. Early childhood is probably the most important years in a child’s educational life, so this bill aims to make sure that early childhood is properly implemented in our localities as well as health and welfare reforms,” said Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, co-author and co-sponsor of the measure.
EDCOM 2 Commissioner Senator Joel Villanueva, a co-author and co-sponsor of the bill also expressed his support. “Through this measure, we are improving the implementation of our ECCD programs, which will cover the full range of health, nutrition, early childhood education and social development programs for the holistic needs of children below five years old. As an advocate of lifelong learning, we want to ensure that the TESDA will play an active role in the professional development of our child development workers through the various relevant trainings that the TESDA offers.”
The bill was co-authored by EDCOM 2 Commissioners Gatchalian, Villanueva, and Legarda in the Senate. Meanwhile, the House passed its counterpart House Bill No. 10142, co-authored by EDCOM 2 Commissioners Roman Romulo, Kiko Benitez, and Mark Go, last March 18.
