MANILA, Philippines – Senator Win Gatchalian is seeking the expansion and aggressive implementation of the Alternative Learning System (ALS) to capture the out-of-school population who remain illiterate.
Gatchalian suggested this intervention in a hearing on the results of the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS). The latest round of FLEMMS revealed that around 18.96 million Filipinos remain functionally illiterate.
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"Even though the ALS is available, the government still faces challenges in encouraging participation in the program. To improve functional literacy in our country, we also need to consider age groups beyond the coverage of DepEd," said Gatchalian, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.
"Now, this is a challenge. And I truly believe that the only way to address this is to mobilize the local government units," he added.
Under the Alternative Learning System Act, the ALS was institutionalized to provide increased learning opportunities for out-of-school children in special cases and adult learners to develop basic and functional literacy skills. The law also seeks to provide an equivalent pathway to complete basic education.
— The Summit Express
