DepEd sees fewer struggling readers in schoolsMANILA, Philippines —The number of struggling readers in public schools has dropped since the beginning of the school year, the Department of Education (DepEd) reported yesterday. These assessment results indicate that around 3.42 million learners in Grades 3 to 6 and 1.72 million in Grades 7 to 10 have moved closer to grade-level proficiency in reading. Education Secretary Sonny Angara attributed the progress to structured remediation, focused tutorial sessions and regular monitoring of learners under ARAL. He noted that these interventions are set to be expanded and standardized once the program receives full funding in 2026. With increased resources, DepEd plans to engage more than 440,000 tutors nationwide, including volunteers and non-DepEd personnel.

Source: Philippine Star January 07, 2026 19:35 UTC