P150 million alloted for hiring of 2,000 tutors

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Labor and Employment will allot P150 million for the hiring of 2,000 tutors in a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed by Education Secretary Sonny Angara and Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma to provide learning interventions to support learners especially among the poor.

The tutors hired will be part of the implementation of Republic Act 12028 or the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Act, which aims to assist struggling disadvantaged students especially in reading, mathematics and science.

The DepEd has said that at least three million students are struggling with functional literacy.

“We will tap the programs of the DOLE, the TUPAD (Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers) and GIP (Government Internship Program) to fund our ARAL tutors,” Angara added.

Marcos signed the ARAL Act into law in October 2024.

Citing data from a 2019 study, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Education chief Akihiro Fushimi said that 90 percent of Filipino children in Grade 5 cannot read at their expected level, while 83 percent continue to struggle with basic mathematics.

The study’s findings predate the COVID-19 pandemic, which Fushimi said worsened the problem due to prolonged school closures and limited access to alternative learning, particularly among disadvantaged communities.