Senate Approves Alternative Learning System Act

Senate Bill No. 1365 or the Alternative Learning System Act (ALS Act) was approved by the Senate.

The Senate, on third and final reading, approved a bill institutionalizing the Alternative Learning System (ALS) in the Philippines.

This, as Senate Bill No. 1365 or the Alternative Learning System Act (ALS Act) was approved with 22 affirmative votes.

Alternative Learning System
Photo: Logo of Senate Senate of the Philippines

According to Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who was the principal author of the said bill, by establishing a Community Learning Centers (ALS CLCs) in every city and municipality in the Philippines will give more Filipinos a chance to finish their basic education.

Gatchalian, who was also the chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education Arts and Culture, said that the ALS Act was a bill about “second chances” as the said bill would provide “opportunities for a better life” to those who didn’t finish their basic education and “fallen into hard times”. He also said that the said bill would also reflect the need for continued education in the middle of a pandemic.

About ALS

The Alternative Learning System (ALS) was a parallel learning system of the Department of Education (DepEd) for students who cannot finish their basic education because of the following reasons: economic barriers, geographic barriers, political barriers, cultural barriers, and social barriers.

As compared to the formal education system of DepEd, ALS was a non-formal education that occurred outside the classroom and was conducted at their homes, community learning centers, or barangay multi-purpose halls.

As per the report, a total of 738,929 learners enrolled in ALS were recorded as of 2019.

Before The Approval Of ALS Act

Before the approval of Senate Bill No. 1365, over 738,000 learners were already enrolled in the Alternative Learning System, adding that there were a total of 10,214 ALS teachers recorded in 2019.

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