Senate OKs bill on alternative learning system during first ‘hybrid’ session

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading a bill that would institutionalize a flexible education program outside the scope of a formal school system to cater to the learning needs of marginalized sectors.

With 22 affirmative votes, the Senate, through a “hybrid” session, approved Senate Bill 1365 or the Alternative Learning System (ALS) Act. Fifteen senators were physically present while seven voted on the bill through a teleconference.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, the bill’s principal author, said the measure reflects the need for continued education amid the COVID-19 pandemic as it would utilize a mix of learning modalities required under the ‘new normal’ such as digital learning, modular instruction, and radio and television-based instruction to help ensure the safety of learners.

Gatchalian noted that the ALS is the Department of Education’s (DepEd) parallel learning system for those who cannot access formal education due to economic, geographic, political, cultural, and social barriers.

In 2019, there were 738,929 learners enrolled in ALS, he added.

In comparison to the formal education system, ALS is a non-formal and community-based education, which is usually conducted in community learning centers, barangay multi-purpose halls or at home at an agreed schedule and venue between the learners and learning facilitators for free.

“The ALS Act is, in its very essence, a bill about second chances. It is a bill about providing opportunities for a better life to our fellow Filipinos who have fallen into hard times,” Gatchalian said in a statement.

The senator cited the May 2018 Philippines Education Note by the World Bank which showed that at least 24 million Filipinos aged 15 and above have not completed basic education.

The same report noted that an additional 2.4 million children aged 5 to 14 are not in school.

The measure also seeks to strengthen the ALS Teacher Program to address the shortage of ALS teachers and facilitators.

The bill mandates the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to create teaching positions for ALS teachers, Gatchalian further explained.

There were 10,214 ALS learning facilitators for 2019, which include mobile teachers, district ALS coordinators, and literacy volunteers among others, he added.

JPV