The Gokongwei Brothers Foundation (GBF) is advancing its commitment to teacher capacity building and literacy recovery in the Philippines. In support of the Department of Education’s implementation of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program Act, the GBF Class Builder has officially launched its Reading Remediation Toolkit for Key Stage 1 Learners, designed to strengthen literacy remediation efforts and support struggling readers nationwide.
As of February 2026, more than 17,000 teachers and ARAL tutors across 43 DepEd SDOs have been onboarded onto the platform. Each teacher gains access to over 370 ready-to-use resources, including detailed lesson plans, slide presentations, digital books, teacher guides, LAC guides, check-in tools, home support activities, and an interactive Sound Wall.
The platform also includes a curriculum map outlining the skills learners will develop across its 34-week implementation, as well as a teacher development map that details the competencies and focus areas covered in its capacity-building sessions.
Teacher Tin Asas, Content and Learning Design Manager for Remediation and English and a reading specialist, emphasized the urgency of strengthening literacy foundations.
“When learners cannot read well, they are more likely to fall behind not only in English but also in Math, Science, and other subjects. Reading is a tool for learning across the curriculum.”
She also adds, “Our goal is for young Filipino learners to become proficient readers who can read with understanding and confidence.”
Developed by literacy experts, the GBF Class Builder materials are carefully designed to support learners according to their specific needs. The resources currently support emerging readers, with materials for developing and transitioning readers to be released eventually. By providing structured, research-based tools, GBF empowers teachers to conduct remediation sessions with clarity and confidence.
A key feature of the Reading Remediation toolkit is the interactive Sound Wall, which supports instruction in alphabet knowledge, decoding, and spelling. To ensure effective use, GBF conducted the January 24, 2026 webinar, “Phonetics: The Sounds of Language,” attended by over 9,500 teachers nationwide. The session equipped teachers on how to accurately demonstrate sound production to students.
But beyond the high-quality materials, GBF Class Builder serves as a comprehensive teacher capacity-building ecosystem.
“My hope is that teachers will be equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively support the literacy development of their students,” Teacher Tin shared.
With both Reading Remediation and Mathematics resources available, GBF Class Builder continues to advance its mission of uplifting Filipino educators and learners through accessible, high-quality, and research-informed learning tools and practices.
