Als history

ALTERNATIVE LEARNING SYSTEM HISTORY

1. ALTERNATIVE LEARNING SYSTEM (ALS)

2. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948- recognized education as an "indispensable means of unlocking and protecting other human rights by providing the scaffolding that is required to secure good health, liberty, security, economic well-being, and participation in social and political activity" (UN, 2002) This landmark declaration paved way to the rights-based discourse of education to be asserted by marginalized groups like children, women, people with special needs, and Indigenous People communities. The Philippine government has signified its commitment to EFA (Education for all) goals Alternative Learning System that address as promote continuing education. Young people and adults are to be given “ equitable access to appropriate learning and life skills programs ”

3. To decentralized the education sector, policies were created towards a tri-focalized educational system -- the Department of Education ( DepEd ) is to manage Basic Education (Kindergarten to high school and Alternative Learning System), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to manage technical-vocational training and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to manage Higher Education.

4. Various Forays into the ALS World There is a dearth of study about the Alternative Learning System in the Philippines. Most reports focus on macro issues like number of participants, funding, and assessment results. One source of data was the observation notes and reflection papers of teacher education students. The courses Alternative Learning Delivery Systems ( Educ 101) & Nonformal Education: Theory and Practice (EDNFE 221) The engagement of the students with the ALS learners extended beyond the classroom. A Facebook group was created for ALS learners where sharing of materials and discussion of various concerns.

5. ALS teachers Workshop: Write about there views and experiences about ALS Describe the nature of ALS learners, especially those who are working. Asked them to write about their strategies and improvisations in handling their classes. From Non-Education to Alternative to Formal Schooling Previously in the Education Act of 1982, nonformal education was considered a “non-education service” that catered to the needs of “illiterate adults” and “out-of-school youth and adults.” It aimed to; - 1) eradicate illiteracy and increase level of functional literacy - 2) provide technical-vocational training for employment - 3) to instill values and attitude for personal, community and national development.

6. Bureau of Alternative Learning System (BALS) and its major purpose is to deliver quality education to the “deprived, depressed, and underserved” Filipinos. The ALS was meant to address two main concerns – improve functional literacy rate and school participation rate. Subject areas in formal basic education are called learning strands - Math and Science became “Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Strand -Filipino and English subjects are called “Communication Skills Strand,” -Technical and Livelihood Education is called “Sustainable Use of Resources and Productivity” -Values Education is called “Development of Self and a Sense of Community” - Social Studies is called “Expanding One World’s Vision.”

7. Non-formal, Informal and Lifelong Education Non-formal education (NFE) is an educational program introduced by development agencies to countries that were once described as “third world” like the Philippines. It was introduced in a United Nations meeting in 1968 in the context of a widespread feeling that formal education was failing (Rogers, 2004). Upon the growing “world educational crisis,” educators expressed concern over unsuitable curricula insofar as they realized that jobs did not emerge directly as a result of educational inputs (Smith, 2001). Consequently, many countries were facing a difficulty of paying for the expansion of formal education. Reform movements and development communities in the West saw non-formal education as a solution to all the ills of education in developing countries

8. Informal education ( InfEd ) in some instances was also categorized as nonformal education but later it gained a life of its own. It is defined as a lifelong process whereby every individual acquires attitudes, values, skills and knowledge from daily experience especially in the workplace. Smith (2001) further explains that the distinction among the three concepts is administrative. ; - Formal education is linked with schools and training institutions; - Non-formal with community groups and other organizations; - Informal covers what is left, e.g. interaction with friends, family, and work colleagues.

9. Alternative Education Alternative Education or Alternative High School is a term that is found to describe some high school institutions in the United States that are serving the needs of vulnerable youth who do not succeed in the traditional schools. Since alternative education programs are associated with “disengaged and uninterested” learners, there is the impression that the programs are of poor quality . Alternative High Schools do not only provide academic learning but would usually include psychosocial and vocational support services provided by a multidisciplinary team.

10. Three-type typology of alternative education Type I is often referred to as “popular innovation” or “true educational alternatives” because they alter organizational, administrative and pedagogical approach of the whole school to provide an engaging environment, and a range of options for youth at risk or potential dropouts. Type II is “last chance” program which focuses on behavior modification for chronically disruptive youth. It includes in-school suspension programs, cool-out rooms that are likened to “soft jails.” Type III program is meant for students who need temporary remediation or rehabilitation to address academic, social/emotional issues. It’s remedial nature. Anything that is not traditional schooling falls under alternative education.

11. The ALS Program ALS classes are conducted in community learning centers numbering about 4,467 found all over the Philippines. Incoming learners, mostly out-of-school youth and adults, are assessed. Those who do not pass the basic literacy test are placed at Basic Literacy Program. The rest are placed either at elementary or high school level Mobile teachers are provided by the Department of Education ( DepEd ) to handle basic literacy learners. Active recruitment of learners happens from January to April Learning sessions using various delivery systems (independent learning, tutoring and classroom instruction) are conducted starting in March until the end of the year. The much awaited Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) Examination, is administered in all regions of the country from October to December . The test includes multiple choice questions and essay writing.

12. The School Goes Where the Learners Are The students of UP College of Education who were deployed to facilitate ALS lessons recorded what they saw the first time they entered the community. One student wrote: “When we went to the community, I was not surprised with what I saw; garbage everywhere, kids everywhere, an unkempt community, and all the other factors that would paint a slum. “ The out-of-town field visits gave the realization that ALS learning centers are found in hard to access places. The image of a mobile teacher with school materials in his or her backpack traversing rivers and mountains represents a paradigm shift in teaching. The teachers would sometimes describe what they do as a “search and rescue” process.

13. The ALS learning centers are sometimes found in unlikely places—village meeting hall, jails, basketball court, women shelter and in the public market. The requirement to go and find learners in difficult places poses a challenge to the teachers. They have to deal with exhaustion, bad weather, and all forms of danger. There were reports of accidents and encounters with the anti-government rebels along the way. One male ALS teacher said that members of the military mistook him for a rebel and brought him to the military camp for questioning.

14. A Diverse Group One common lament coming from the ALS teachers is the fact that they are teaching a very diverse group – from young children (at least 10 years old) to the elderly. Majority are school leavers who had to leave to school for various reasons – early pregnancy, the need to work and support themselves and their family or to care for a young sibling, dismissed from school due to an offensive behavior and so forth. There are adults who can hardly read or write, children or youth in, members of indigenous people communities, victims various types of abuse, children and youth in high-conflict areas, including those whose homes and schools were devastated by a typhoon or earthquake. The law requires employers to send their domestic help and youth laborers to attend ALS classes. The ALS teachers reported that the most difficult group of learners to teach are adult illiterates , those who never went to school or had to leave school early in life. Among the younger population, the most difficult ones, described as “extra challenge” are the itinerant street children . This group includes members of an indigenous group from the south who are commonly called “ Bajaus .”

15. One ALS supervisor mentioned about an interesting group of learners in his district -- the middle age mothers who left school early because they married young. Now in their 40’s and with grown up children, they have the opportunity to resume their studies. Another interesting group of learners are men and women in correctional institutions. Their confinement provides bulk of time to study and thus they perform better in equivalency examinations. In some places, the jail wardens are trained to become ALS teachers. There are also reports that ALS is utilized as part of the reintegration process for communist rebel returnees and women who have left prostitution.

16. Three teaching strategies were recurring in the survey taken. -One is the use of informal sharing of experiences at the beginning of the session.. -Another strategy is the use of various computer-based technologies, especially video clips. -The third one is the use of group activities which are meant to create a closer relationship among the learners. Eventually, the class becomes a support group. Addressing the psycho-social need is another issue that was expressed by the teachers and the ALS facilitators. One of my student-facilitator wrote in her paper. What really caught my attention was when we were discussing local issues and conflicts because they were all scared and they felt powerless. They believe that in this society, they are minorities who don’t enjoy the same freedom as those who are educated. Another said that during the lesson, he ended up giving what he called a “pep talk,” something he felt was needed especially that the students would be undertaking the Accreditation and Equivalency Test. ALS teachers share many ways of dealing with the psycho-social needs – inspirational songs, spiritual support (prayer, religious materials), counseling, mentoring.

17. All these attest to the fact that ALS teachers are dedicated and multi-skilled. This affirms previous findings that NFE cannot operate without such dedicated teachers (Rogers, 2004). The ALS teacher’s counterparts in a regular high school are specialists of a particular discipline. However, the ALS teacher is a generalist and should be capable of facilitating learning in all subject areas. In some cases, the ALS teacher would invite volunteers and resource persons to explain difficult lessons.

18. Impact and Consequences In places like jails or rehabilitation centers, participation in ALS program does not only provide the possibility of getting an elementary or high school diploma but it creates new identities. Inmates would be quite hostile at first, as they were required to go out of their cell to meet my students. However as their ALS teacher would introduce them as “ALS learners” and talk about their ALS experiences, we observed a change of their demeanor. They were not longer just inmates, but learners and achievers. The prison cell was re-casted as a learning center. The learners would later talk about their experiences, their life before they were jailed, the lessons learned from the ALS classes, their jubilation of passing the A&E test. There were instances where inmates would describe their incarceration as a “blessing in disguise.” The goal of every ALS student is to pass the equivalency test and receive an elementary or high school diploma, something that would allow him/her to pursue further education in technical-vocation or in a higher education institution, get a better employment and gain more self-confidence.

19. Actually there are very few who pass the Accreditation and Equivalency Examination. Reports show that when A&E passing rate has been steadily increasing from 9% in 2000 to 21% in 2006 ( Caoili , 2007). The passing rate peaked in 2013 at 28% but the figure was not sustained in 2014. Those who fail the test have to retake the test the next year. The teachers expressed in several instances that the A&E paper and pencil test does not really capture what their learners are capable of. They observed that some learners are doing well during class sessions and they are quite successful in their trade but they are not able to pass the test. Reports show that the Department of Education allocates only less than 1% of its budget to ALS program.

20. The Most Likely to Succeed The ones who would stand to benefit from the ALS classes and most likely would pass the AE test are the recent school dropouts, especially those who left the school at grade 9 and 10. Another promising group are those who are already working. Based on the survey conducted among the teachers, about 38% of their learners are working as household help, nannies, vendors, laborers, restaurant workers, and the like. The recurring descriptors for these working students are “ pursigido ” (determined, persevering), “ madiskarte ” (street smart, intuitive, resourceful), responsible, diligent and more knowledgeable. They have better literacy and numeracy skills. Teachers reported that they are able to understand the lessons better and would find it easier to write an essay. They are also more polite and able to relate better with their peers. What constrains them is the limited time they can give to ALS classes due to their work schedule.

21. And there are some scholars who would raise the idea that the high dropout rate and low outcomes cannot be attributed to the educational system alone but symptoms of bigger and broader societal issues like poverty and inequality. Critics would describe development initiatives like ALS and NFE as Band-Aid solutions. What is required really is structural change (Roger, 2004).