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Alternative learning system (ALS)

Many people have asked me “After your students graduate from your Goducate literacy program, where do they go?” This is a very needful question to ask, seeing that we presently have almost 1000 undocumented alien children (ie, illegal immigrants) in our Goducate literacy programs in East Malaysia. As almost all of these kids are originally from the Philippines or descendants of Filipinos, we hope to help them to get an education that will allow them to go back to the Philippines to finish their education and hopefully get gainful employment there or in other countries.

We hope that all our graduates who have already learned to read and write and mastered elementary mathematics will be able to continue their education through a program that has been developed by the Philippines Department of Education (DepEd). This system called “Alternative Learning System” (ALS) was developed because only 65% of Filipinos who enter Grade 1 finish Grade 6 and only 45% finish high school. A major reason for this is poverty and the need for children to help earn income for their families. Many children in farming communities are pulled out of school by their families to help during harvest season, and are then unable to return to school because they have fallen out of the formal schooling system.

ALS allows children to catch up according their own abilities and diligence using modules produced by DepEd. These modules are made available in soft-copy for the user to download. Past experience has shown that matured students can cover much ground at great speed because of their motivation, more matured minds and prior non-formal learning experiences. For example, one of our Goducate students was able to go from illiteracy to Grade 9 in just over a year!

ALS students can take DepEd approved tests that qualify them for a Philippine nationally recognized high school diploma, which will allow them to apply for college entry.

Our dream is to see our first Goducate student from Sabah enter a college in the Philippines in the near future. A kind Filipino businesswoman has promised to sponsor Goducate students who gain entry into college.

The dream of helping every poor child get a decent education is fast becoming a reality!

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A beautiful wedding celebration at the Sabah Goducate learning center

Recently a couple decided to exchange their vows at the Goducate community center in one of the kampungs. After 8 years of a rollercoaster love story, they finally joining their hearts. This is the first wedding event that happened in the community center, after over a year it was built.

The mother of the bride before the wedding asked if they can use the center and we said why not. Most of the people in kampong helped the couples’ families to prepare their food and decorate the place. A Filipino culture of bayanihan, whether they are different in doctrine and beliefs.

It’s Sunday morning and the weather was hot, most people was excited and asking what time are we going to the wedding because it will start around 3 o’clock in the afternoon. We went to the wedding with a few mothers. I was surprised that to see our simple Community center was turned into a beautiful garden with two seats at the center. As I saw the couple, the bride was so beautiful that made her as a princess for today, she changed her dress 3 times. Then after we ate, we took some pictures from the couple and the family.

Early that evening, we went home thankful for this event because it helps bind the relationship between the people of different cultures and traditions within that kampong. But then the wedding party was not yet over until midnight.

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A new literacy center in Sabah

This year, one mother takes initiative to start a small literacy center at her small house. The house was built in a swamp area were kangkong plants and cobras lives.

When we went to pay them a visit, around 40 children sitting on the floor, try to write the ABC. As I looked around to observed, I smiled when I saw that the ABC was all over written at their wall made of plywood. At the outside of the house, we also notice that the neighborhood wall has also ABC. I smiled to see how persistent they are to learn, even though the resources are not sufficient.

Last month, Goducate at the same place was able to rent a bigger house with a bigger space compare to their first classroom. The 40 children was happily and proud to transfer to that house with their free bag of school supplies that GODUCATE also provide.

Now the 40 children who were taught by this very enthusiastic teacher increase up to 200 students and 2 other volunteered mothers and 1 teenager. The school house accommodates 4 classes in the morning and 2 classes in the afternoon. Still parents brought their children from the other kampong to enroll for the same purpose to let their children learn how to read and write.