The clock is ticking on the 2026 Summer Remediation Program, and teachers are sounding the alarm. The Alliance of Concerned Teachers calls it a disaster waiting to happen—ill-prepared, underfunded, and dumped on educators already running on empty.
Ruby Bernardo, chairperson of ACT, didn't hold back. She accused the government of a reckless pattern: tossing teachers into policies without preparation or support, then leaving them to beg for scraps of compensation. Her words cut deep: after a brutal 10-month school year with no sick leave or vacation, teachers were forced into rushed online orientations, spending their own money on materials overnight, and showing up physically for a program that felt more like a punishment than a solution.
From May 6 to June 3, the program aims to help 2.7 million students in Grades 2 to 11 catch up in reading and math. The buzzword is "ARAL"—a network of tutors ranging from licensed teachers to volunteers. Education Secretary Sonny Angara put on a brave face, praising the sacrifice of teachers and promising support, respect, and care. But the reality on the ground tells a different story.
Teachers were forced into tutoring roles because the guidelines arrived at the last minute. And that earlier promise of hiring "dedicated tutors"? A hollow echo. Bernardo pointed out the cruel irony: those who took on the work last year were never paid. "We cannot survive on charity work," she said, her frustration boiling over. Salaries are meager, benefits are delayed, and the crisis keeps deepening.
The budget? DepEd got over a trillion pesos for 2026—the biggest slice of the national pie. The ARAL program alone snagged 9 billion to hire 448,000 tutors. But Bernardo questioned where that money is really going. Without proper allocations for tutor salaries, learning materials, and learner support, the program is just another promise floating on thin air.
"The quality of education will continue to decline," Bernardo warned, "if we are constantly squeezed in service while being underpaid and denied a decent, livable wage." It's a gut-wrenching truth. Teachers are burning out, and the students they're trying to save may be the ones who suffer most.
