P562 million allocated for ALS learners in 2023 national budget

MANILA, Philippines — Learners enrolled under the Department of Education (DepEd)’s Alternative Learning System (ALS) will receive support worth P562 million under the 2023 national budget, according to Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian.

Gatchalian said the bicameral conference committee report on the 2023 national budget, which Congress approved last Monday, carried his proposal to allocate P562 million of the DepEd budget for the implementation of ALS programs and the provision of ALS learning resources.

“ALS gives a second chance to our countrymen who did not finish their education. But when the pandemic hit, the ALS programs suffered a severe blow, which is why under the 2023 national budget, we ensured that ALS students will be given support so that they are not left behind as the country recovers,” he said in Filipino and English.

Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate committee on basic education, added that the allocation also covers the provision of transportation and teaching aid allowances to ALS teachers and DepEd-engaged community ALS implementors.

The P562-million budget falls under Flexible Learning Options.

ALS is a parallel learning system that provides a viable alternative to existing formal education instruction. It encompasses both non-formal and informal sources of knowledge and skills.

Based on DepEd data as of March 14, there were 472,869 learners enrolled in ALS for School Year 2021-2022 – 38 percent lower compared with pre-pandemic levels.

Gatchalian is the principal author and sponsor of Republic Act 11510, or the ALS Act, which institutionalizes, strengthens and expands the ALS program to provide increased opportunities for out-of-school children in special cases and adult learners, including indigenous peoples, to develop basic and functional literacy and life skills and pursue an equivalent pathway to complete basic education.