Philippine E-Journals

Challenges in the Implementation of Aral Program as Perceived by the Teachers in Zone I Schools Division of Zambales

Joyce E. Atrero | Esmen M. Cabal

Discipline: Education

 

Abstract:

Regional literacy gaps and poor international assessment scores prompted the Philippine government to establish the Academic Recov-ery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program under Republic Act 12028. This study investigated the challenges faced by teachers in im-plementing the ARAL Program in Zone 1, Schools Division of Zambales. Utilizing a descriptive quantitative survey design, data were gath-ered via purposive sampling from 129 public elementary school teach-ers across the districts of Sta. Cruz, Candelaria, and Masinloc. A self-de-veloped 4-point Likert scale questionnaire assessed challenges across five structural domains. Teachers perceived the ARAL Program implementation as "Chal-lenging" across all studied areas (overall weighted means: 3.00–3.08). Local Government Support emerged as the most severe challenge (M=3.08), heavily driven by difficulties in mobilizing local stakeholders (M=3.13). Access to Learning Materials (M=3.04) and Qualification of Tutors (M=3.04) presented equal difficulties, primarily due to poor in-ternet connectivity obstructing digital resource access (M=3.15) and tutors lacking formal pedagogical training (M=3.13). Furthermore, stu-dent unwillingness to participate (M=3.13) and the burden of develop-ing materials adaptive to both online and face-to-face setups (M=3.23) hindered effective student identification and delivery modes. Successful learning recovery is constrained by systemic hurdles, in-cluding weak community mobilization, digital infrastructure deficits, and untrained tutoring personnel. It is recommended that school divi-sions provide targeted multimodal material development training, in-vest in low-bandwidth or offline instructional alternatives, and forge formalized partnership agreements with local government units to se-cure sustained logistical and financial backing.