DepEd Alternative Learning System :

The Other Side of Basic Education

At the end of this session, you should be
able to:
Session Objectives:
explain how the ALS evolved;
state the legal measures and
commitment that serve as basis for the
introduction of ALS in the Philippine
educational system; and


discuss how ALS compares with formal
basic education;
Do I have the same
observation as you do?
Say it
What do you think.
1. What does the two (2) roads
signify?

2. Can the figure explain the
features of ALS?
Historical Context of Non-Formal
Education
Its history can be traced as far back as
1908 when ACT No. 1829 was created to
provide for the delivery of civico
educational lectures in towns and barrios.
Six years later the act was amended to
assign teachers in public schools to give
the lectures.
The New Commonwealth government
passed Act No. 80 in 1936 to create the
Office of Adult Education as part of the
then Department of Instruction.
A decade later, this branch was
transformed into the Adult and
Community Education Division of the
Bureau of Public Schools.
After the declaration of Martial Law, the
Marcos government's Philippine
Constitution of 1973 created the position
of the Undersecretary of Nonformal
Education.
The Education Act of 1982 created the
Bureau of Continuing Education from the
Office of Nonformal Education.
The Aquino government after the People
Power Revolution, enacted Executive
Order No. 117 in 1987 to create the
Bureau of Nonformal Education.
Article 14, section 2(4) of the 1987
Philippine Constitution stated: "The state
shall encourage nonformal, formal,
indigenous learning systems, as well as
self-learning, independent and out-of-
school study programs, particularly those
that respond to community needs; and
provide adult citizens, the disabled and
out-of school youth training in civics,
vocational efficiency and other skills."
On October 16, 1990, Proclamation No.
480 declared the period from 1990 to
1999 as the Decade of Education for All,
with the goal of meeting the educational
needs of the poor and under educated.
In 1995, the Technical Education and
Skills Development Authority (TESDA) was
established to help regulate non-degree
technical-vocational programs. TESDA
was also in charge of skill orientation,
training, and development of out-of-school
youth and unemployed community adults.
Legal measures and commitment
that serve as basis for the
introduction of ALS in the Philippine
educational system:

1. Republic Act 9155: The Governance
Act of Basic Education

On June 6, 2001, the Philippine Congress
passed a law that defined the governance
of basic education. Among many of its
provisions, this law recognized the ALS as
a complement of formal education and a
major component of basic education with a
clearly defined role within the overall
educational goals. Moreover, this law
operationally defined these terms:

Nonformal Education (NFE) is any
organized, systematic educational activity
carried outside the framework of the formal
system to provide selected types of
learning to a segment of the population.

Informal Education is a lifelong process of
learning by which every person acquires
and accumulates knowledge, skills,
attitudes and insights from daily
experiences at home, at work, at play and
from life itself

Alternative Learning System is a parallel
learning system that provides a viable
alternative to the existing formal education
system. It encompasses both the nonformal
and informal sources of knowledge and
skills
Basic Education is the education intended
to meet basic learning needs and which lays
the foundation on which subsequent learning
can be based. It encompasses early
childhood, elementary and high school
education as well as alternative learning
systems for children, OSY and adult learners
and for those with special needs.
2. Executive Order No. 356: Renaming
the Bureau of Nonformal Education
(BNFE) the Bureau of Alternative
Learning System (BALS)
On September 13, 2004, the Office of the
President of the Republic of the Philippines
renamed the DepEds Bureau of Nonformal
Education the Bureau of Alternative
Learning System (BALS) through this
Executive Order signed by Her Excellency,
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Not only does this Order reiterate the
Bureaus mandate to address the learning
needs of marginalized learners but also
directs BALS to provide a systematic and
flexible approach to reach all types of
learners outside the school system.

by virtue of this Executive Order, the BALS
has been given the authority to guide the
development of the countrys ALS.

3. Education for All (EFA) Plan by 2015
In 2004, the Philippine government once
again committed to participate in the global
campaign for Education for All by the year
2015. In this Plan, one of the major goals is
transforming all nonformal and informal
education interventions into an ALS to yield
more EFA benefits. This means that the
goal is to have in place a credible ALS
(consisting of NFE and Informal Education)
that shall increase functional literacy
among the marginalized groups of learners.

MAJOR ASPECTS OF COMPARISON
Learning Program
Setting
Teacher
Age of Learner
Curriculum
Learning Materials
Teaching Methodology
Assessment of Learning

In 2004, the Bureau of Nonformal Education
(BNFE) was renamed Bureau of Alternative
Learning System (BALS). As a consequence,
the Bureau was mandated to provide not only
nonformal education but also an alternative
learning system. What is the relationship
between NFE and ALS? Do you think this
move by DepEd to focus attention from NFE
to ALS is good for school dropouts? Explain
your answer.
So what after this lesson?