Philippines asks for funds to continue improved student results
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Education Secretary Sonny Angara asked the Philippine Congress to approve ₱16.03 billion (approximately $285 million USD) to continue the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program.
Angara believes the program helped Filipino students improve their scores on the 2025 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in reading, mathematics, and science. He stated the gains demonstrate progress is possible with consistent funding and targeted interventions.
The Department of Education (DepEd) requested the supplemental budget for 2027 after the national budget initially allocated zero funds to ARAL. The proposed funding would pay for remediation, learning materials, tutor training, a summer program, and compensation for tutors and teachers taking on extra work. During the 2025-2026 school year, ARAL provided support to students who were falling behind.
DepEd reported the program reduced the number of struggling readers in the Philippines from 6.7 million to 2.2 million and increased the number of students prepared for their grade level in reading from 3.3 million to 5.8 million. In PISA 2025, the Philippines achieved scores of 373 in science, 371 in mathematics, and 367 in reading, improvements of 17, 16, and 20 points, respectively, compared to the country’s 2022 results.
