Group flags ‘forced’ teacher participation in ARAL program

The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) said that some teachers are allegedly being “forced” to participate as tutors and contribute funds following the rollout of the Summer Remediation Program (SRP) under the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program.

“We received reports that teachers are really being forced to volunteer,” TDC National Chairperson Benjo G. Basas said in Filipino in a statement yesterday.

“Some reports also stated that those who did not volunteer are still required to report to school, and even contribute money to pay the salary of the external tutor,” he added.

The SRP aims to help learners from Grades 2 to 11 achieve grade-level proficiency in reading and mathematics. A network of tutors, such as teachers, para-teachers, pre-service teachers, and qualified volunteers, is set to deliver targeted interventions for students.

Under the 2026 budget, the Department of Education (DepEd) allocated P9 billion for the ARAL program, and is expected to hire about 448,000 tutors nationwide.

However, based on TDC’s initial survey, many teachers raised concerns about the “non-voluntary nature” of the program and questioned the absence of funding for external tutors.

“The regular teaching load is already burdensome, and yet they would still add this ARAL program that’s supposed to have a budget for external tutors,” Mr. Basas said.

“They are still expecting the tired teachers to carry the burden, so where did or where would the budget for the program go?” he added.

TDC also flagged the low turnout of students for the summer remediation classes, which may “foreshadow similar implementation problems” once the ARAL program rolls out during regular school days.

“If we can’t implement it properly, it may be best to pause, review the problems encountered, and provide solutions for them before proceeding,” Mr. Basas said.

“Otherwise, the money, time, and effort of everyone may go to waste because of a program that cannot be properly carried out,” he added.

Mr. Basas noted that the ARAL program is a “band-aid solution” for the education sector’s long-term problems, such as a lack of classrooms, books, and teachers’ support. “If all of these are addressed, there clearly won’t be a need for remediation.”

The SRP, which runs from May 6 to Jun. 2, 2026, targets to support 2.7 million learners nationwide. — Almira Louise S. Martinez