Press Release
April 5, 2009

ROXAS: EDUCATION FOR ALL IS GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSIBILITY
SEEKS SENATE INQUIRY INTO DEPED'S ALTERNATIVE LEARNING PROGRAMS
FOR OUT-OF-SCHOOL YOUTHS, ADULT LEARNERS

Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas has filed a resolution seeking an inquiry by the Senate into the success and impact of the Department of Education's Alternative Learning System (ALS) programs intended to address the special learning needs of marginalized learners.

Roxas, who filed Senate Resolution no. 967, stressed there is a need to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of the ALS programs parallel to its objective of making quality education available for out-of-school youth and adult learners.

"Mahalaga ang edukasyon. Kung may mga tao mang hindi makapasok sa formal education system dahil sa kahirapan, tungkulin ng pamahalaan na maglaan ng alternatibong paraan para makapag-aral sila (Education is important. It is the government's duty to put in place alternative means for the education of those who are not able to enter the formal education system because of poverty)," he said.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education added: "Sinusuportahan natin ang programa ng Alternative Learning System, kaya nais nating alamin kung naipatutupad ba ito nang tama. (We support the Alternative Learning System, that is why we want to know if this is being implemented properly)."

He said senators should look into how government has carried out its constitutional mandate to "protect and promote the rights of all citizens to quality education at all levels" and to "take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all.'

The ALS system was among the workable methods in the Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001 (Republic Act 9155) which government could tap to address the special learning needs of out-of-school youths and undereducated adults.

ALS is an independent complete learning system crafted to address the various learning styles and needs of learners. Learners are given full discretion of the kind and method of learning they wish to have, including the use of information technology.

The Visayan senator said aside from assessing the program's efficacy, the Senate committee should also check the budgetary support given by the government to the Bureau of Alternative Learning System, which has been tasked to oversee the implementation of the ALS programs.

He noted reports that the BLAS gets less than one percent of the annual budget allocation given to the Department of Education.

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