EDCOM 2: More than 3 years in, Alternative Learning System faces financing, completion woes

Three and a half years after the passage of the Alternative Learning System (ALS) Act (RA 11510), many provisions of the law have yet to be fully implemented. This is on top of implementation woes regarding budget and financing, and challenges regarding the enrollment-completion ratio of learners in ALS.

This is what the Second Congressional Committee on Education (EDCOM 2), found during a hearing held on August 1. The meeting was chaired by Co-Chairperson Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, the Commission was joined by AJCMFI Executive Director Fr Jerome Marquez; PBSP Executive Director Mr Elvin Uy, Dr. Marie Therese Angeline Bustos, Director, Assessment, Curriculum, and Technology Research Centre (ACTRC); and representatives from the Department of Education led by Director Marilette Almayda of the Bureau of Alternative Education. ALS teachers from select schools also participated in the public hearing as resource persons, together with UNICEF, ACTRC, and USAID Philippines Opportunity 2.0/EDC.

ALS is a parallel learning system that provides a viable alternative to the existing formal education instruction. It aims to provide out-of-school children and adults with opportunities to enhance their skills and prepare for higher education, work, or self-employment.

Alarming disparity between enrollees and completers

EDCOM 2 Executive Director Dr. Karol Mark Yee presented concerning trends in ALS enrollment and completion rates.

Data from DepEd showed that there is an average enrollment of 600,000 annually, with the majority of the learners enrolled in the A&E Secondary Program. However, it also showed that there is an alarming disparity between the number of learners who enroll in ALS and those who successfully complete the program, with only 302,807 completers out of 655,517 enrollees of SY 2023-2024.

Many learners face socio-economic barriers that prevent them from finishing the program, such as the lack of financial support, the need to work, lack of interest, vices, marriage, and bullying These challenges result in high dropout rates, undermining the program's mission to provide accessible education to all.

Moreover, despite annual increases in targeted ALS learners--rising by 1.5 times per year--the growth of the program's enrollment figures does not align with the estimated 5 million potential learners aged 17 to 24 who are out of school. Recent data shows that only 224,885 learners are currently counted in the ALS system, a mere 9% of the estimated out-of-school-youths.

Issues hound financing of ALS programs

Governance and financing issues further complicate ALS implementation. While RA 11510 allows Local School Boards to use the Special Education Fund (SEF) for ALS programs, some LGUs still adhere to DepEd-DBM-DILG Joint Circular No. 1, s.2020, which limits their ability to charge ALS-related expenses to SEF. This dependency restricts the allocation of necessary resources for ALS.

Budgetary constraints are also evident. The proposed budget by the Bureau of Alternative Education (BAE) does not accurately reflect the per capita cost assumptions for each ALS learner, with an allocation of about P634 million. It is instead evenly distributed across regions at P7 million each, regardless of the actual number of ALS learners. DepEd has noted that the policy is being amended this year using a new formula.

Lack of support for ALS teachers

The Commission also found a lack of support for ALS teachers. ALS teachers face additional challenges due to the absence of unique training programs tailored specifically to their needs. Unlike their counterparts in the formal education system, ALS teachers do not have access to specialized professional development programs that address the unique contexts and challenges of alternative learning. Currently, the majority of ALS teachers are DepEd Mobile Teachers and District ALS Coordinators (DALCs), and individual volunteers.

"Ang aming teachers ay regular senior high school teachers, at hindi po nila alam kung paano i-implement ang ALS." raised Teacher Madelaine, an ALS teacher from SDO Dasmarinas.

EDCOM 2 Standing Committee member Fr. Jerome Marquez highlighted the teachers as a crucial aspect of the ALS program: "It's the teacher that creates the sense of belonging na hinahanap lalo na ng adolescents at youth -- and that is what ALS is. Kapag nawala tayo dyan, we lose the sense of education." emphasizing the essential role of educators in fostering connection and support within ALS.

The author of the ALS Act and EDCOM 2 Co-Chair Senator Sherwin Gatchalian stressed that proper implementation of the law is essential for the program to succeed. "[The ALS Act was] carefully crafted to strengthen ALS without making it an incentive for young people to take rather than education. The ALS was a program long before but we institutionalized it to strengthen and to put more funds, and also to plug the gaps in the implementation of ALS", he said.