ABSTRACT
The study examined the readiness and resilience strategies of Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) tutors to formulate policy recommendations for strengthening the ARAL Program in selected elementary schools in New Lucena District for School Year 2025–2026. Findings revealed that tutors viewed ARAL Program as educational intervention, collaborative recovery learning intervention, and program to strengthen the foundational skills of learners. On the other hand, tutors’ readiness included high level of tutor preparedness and confidence, partial readiness due to limited time and competing responsibilities, and readiness rooted in personal commitment and willingness to improve. There were also challenges identified and resilience strategies employed by the tutors in the implementation of the ARAL Program. Based on the results of the study, the researcher proposed policy recommendations to improve the implementation of ARAL Program.
Keywords: Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning ARAL) Program, ARAL Tutors, Framework, Policy Recommendations, Readiness and Resilience Strategies
INTRODUCTION
Quality education stands as a vital and universal human right, yet many Filipino children remain disadvantaged. Access to quality learning is often limited to families with financial means, leaving marginalized communities behind. The Philippines faces a severe learning crisis, lagging five to six years behind countries of similar economic standing (PISA, 2022). National and international assessments consistently show low proficiency in reading and mathematics (DepEd, 2019, 2023; UNICEF & SEAMEO, 2019), while the World Bank (2022) reported that 91% of children cannot read and understand simple texts by age 10. Declines in literacy and numeracy are most evident among learners in low-income households, indigenous groups, and geographically isolated areas, where access to resources, internet, and parental support is scarce. These realities underscore the urgent need for targeted remediation and enrichment programs to bridge learning gaps and ensure equitable opportunities for all learners.
In response to these learning gaps, Republic Act No. (RA) 12028, or the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program Act of 2024, established the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program to provide a national learning intervention program that shall be grounded on the following premises; 1)well systematized tutorial sessions which demonstrate higher achievement gains; 2) well- organized intervention plans and learning resources developed in consultation with curriculum and reading specialists, following a learner- centered approach that is supportive and empathetic of the learners needs, motivation, and behavior, including but not limited to one-on-one or group tutorials; 3)effective and accessible delivery modes for tutors and learners; 4)careful determination and assessments of learners; 5)well- chosen and trained tutors and learning facilitators; 6) alignment with existing.
As a tutor in the ARAL program, the researcher directly encountered challenges that highlighted the need for this study. Many tutors entered with insufficient training, making it difficult to address varied learner needs. Limited resources forced them to rely on improvisation, while the diversity of learners’ abilities and backgrounds required constant adaptation without adequate guidance. These conditions often led to emotional strain, as setbacks such as disengagement, irregular attendance, and slow progress tested tutors’ resilience. Although community volunteers showed strong commitment, uneven preparation emphasized the importance of structured capacity-building. These realities revealed a lack of empirical evidence on how ARAL tutors prepare, adjust, and recover in the face of adversity, underscoring the importance of documenting their experiences to inform policies that can strengthen and institutionalize learning recovery programs.
This study explored the readiness and resilience strategies of Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) tutors as a framework for policy recommendations.
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