The ALS-Madrasah Education Program is designed to respond to DepEd’s Education for All (EFA) Plan whose goal to make every Filipino functionally literate by year 2015. It also makes reference to the policy recommendation of the BESRA-endorsed. Technical Report on Strengthening the ALS in the Philippines: Issues and Challenges which recommends the development at the Madrasah Education for OSY and adults.
Muslim OSY’s and adults are part of the marginalized sector of society who are the target beneficiaries of DepEd’s ALS. As a result of various push factors, notably the peace and order situation in Mindanao, this group has moved into other regions, provinces and cities. They are now in National Capital Region, Metro Cebu, Iloilo and Bacolod, and in other cities up north in Lingayen and Baguio City. This mass migration of unskilled and oftentimes illiterate Muslim youth and adults has resulted in other socio-economic problems among the Muslim migrants and in the receiving areas of migration.
Given the nature of the problem, it is logical to look at the Alternative Learning System (ALS) as a necessary solution to the education needs of this particular group of learners. Thru ALS, their literacy and livelihood/entrepreneurial skills requirements can be best addressed in order to make them competitive in the job market, equip them with skills to engage in the trading business and in other entrepreneurial endeavours while inculcating love for their own culture, region, as well as for the country. All these efforts, however, are guided by a wholistic approach called ALIVE (Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education) to ensure that core learning elements are in place while the basic Islamic concerns are considered in the entire learning experience by the Muslim OSY and adults.
It is envisaged that this education program will contribute significantly to the continuing search for peace and the growth and development that results from it.
Contributor:
Ariel D. Cañete
Abucay District ALS Coordinator
Latest posts by Teacher Ariel Cañete
- Quality Education For Indigenous People
- Be Part of Abot-Alam for a Zero OSY Philippines
- Implementation of Radio-Based Instruction (RBI) Utilizing The Local Community Radio Stations
- Alternative Learning System-Madrasah Education For Muslim Out-Of-School Youth (OSY) And Adults
- Elements Of Alternative Learning System (ALS) Informal Education (INFED)