Illiteracy in rural areas is one of the major concerns in the Philippines. Many Filipinos do not have a chance of going to school for their basic education, or they have to leave school early, because of poverty or lack of schools and teachers in their communities.
Goducate’s mission is to Go and Educate people who otherwise have no access to education, so that they can escape lives of hopelessness and uselessness. In Laguna Goducate has been helping people who have not finished their schooling to complete it through the Philippines Department of Education Alternative Learning System (ALS).
ALS is a parallel learning system in the Philippines that provides a practical option to the existing formal system of instruction. It includes both non-formal and formal sources of knowledge and skills. Through ALS, Filipinos have the chance to access complete basic education in a mode that fits their distinct situations and needs. Its programs are modular and flexible. Learning can take place anytime, anywhere, depending on the convenience and availability of the learner.
On Jan 20-22, the Goducate Training Center in Iloilo partnered with the Department of Education’s Bureau of Alternative Learning System (BALS) to run a three-day training on ALS. The training was attended by 69 participants composed of Goducate community development workers, the new batch of Goducate trainees, and some members of the San Miguel community whom Goducate has helped. The participants received a certificate of completion and are now officially recognized as ALS facilitators.
With our community development workers now certified as ALS facilitators, Goducate Training Center is hopeful that more poor rural communities in the Philippines will be reached and offered the gift of free and convenient access to education.
*Our guest writer is Joanna De Leon, a Goducate volunteer