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2:35 pm on 18 September 2021, Saturday
Senator Win Gatchalian is prodding the Department of Education to look for proactive ways to increase enrollment in the Alternative Learning System (ALS), where registration is currently at 33.27% of last year's data.
According to the Senator, there are 199,422 enrolled in ALS for the school year 2021-2022 as of September 15. Last school year, there were 599,365 enrolled in ALS.
For public and private basic education institutions as well as state and local universities and colleges (SUCs and LUCs), enrollment already breached the 26.3 million mark, 100.3% higher than the 26.2 million recorded in the previous school year.
If enrollment at the formal school system this school year has exceeded last year's, Gatchalian said that enrollment in ALS should at the very least match the 2020 figures.
He said the DepEd should proactively look for these ALS learners so they can continue with their education.
"Layunin ng ALS na makapagbigay ng pangalawang pagkakataon sa mga hindi nakapagtapos ng kanilang pag-aaral o kaya naman ay nahihirapang ipagpatuloy ang kanilang pormal na edukasyon. Dapat ipagpatuloy natin ang paghahanap sa mga kababayan nating maaaring makapag-aral sa ilalim ng ALS. Ihatid natin sa kanila ang edukasyon at tulungan natin silang magkaroon ng mas magandang kinabukasan," said Gatchalian.
The ALS is a parallel learning system that provides a viable alternative to the existing formal instruction which includes non-formal sources of knowledge and skills based on the Republic Act No. 11510.
The ALS was institutionalized to provide increased opportunities for out-of-school children in special cases and adult learners, including indigenous peoples, to develop basic and functional literacy and life skills. Out-of-school children in special cases include learners with disabilities or conditions, indigenous peoples, children in conflict with the law, learners in emergency situations, and other marginalized sectors.
The ALS Act also mandates that every city and municipality should have its own ALS Community Learning Centers.