Students of Pinyahan Elementary School, supervised by their respective teachers, initiate their 'Catch-up Fridays' program by reading storybooks inside their classrooms on January 12, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- Voting 240-0, the House of Representatives on Monday approved on third and final reading House Bill 8210, establishing an Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning Program.

The bill will be sent to the Senate for action.

The bill's fact sheet explain that the measure seeks to resolve the gap between the current and expected learning competencies of learners in basic education through the national academic intervention program. It also seeks to ensure that learners attaint he most essential learning competencies in reading, mathematics and sciences through tutors tasked to conduct remedial lessons.

It will cover learners under the Department of Education who failed in the examinations and tests administered by teachers, received grades that are marginally above the minimum level of mastery required in the attainment of the Most Essential Learning Competencies, and returned or are returning to school after a furlough. 

It creates the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning Program as the National Academic Intervention Program to address leaning loss and the academic struggles of basic education learners. The program shall cover the most essential learning competencies under the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum covering the subjects of Language and Mathematics for Grade 1- 10 and Science for Grades 3 to 10.

It encourages the holding of tutor sessions after school hours, on weekends, during the school year except on the day of worship following the beliefs or religion of the learner, or during semestral breaks, as maybe deemed necessary. Tutorial may be face to face, online or blended learning. It provides tutors with appropriate training and seminars.

It requires public telecommunications entities to provide free access to all learning platforms of the DepEd, including online platforms and digital libraries. It also allots a portion of the  daily total air time of each broadcasting network for educational tutorial sessions within the regular programming of networks granted franchises.

Tertiary level students who serve as tutors for 2 semesters shall be deemed to have completed the literacy training service under the National Service Training Program.