DepEd to give updates on K-12

curriculum on Jan. 30
By Azer Parrocha

January 10, 2023, 3:14 pm

MANILA – The Department of Education (DepEd) is expected to release updates on

the ongoing review of the Kinder to Grade 12 (K-12) curriculum by January 30.

In a press statement, the DepEd said the K-12 updates will be among the contents
of its Basic Education Report (BER) 2023.

“The BER 2023 aims to present the state of basic education in the country, and the
plans and initiatives of the Department to fulfill its mandate,” the DepEd said.

It will also launch the education agenda and the new call to action for all Filipinos.

“The Department intends to provide a broad report about the basic education sector
which will include updates on the on-going review of the K to 12 curriculum,” it
added.

DepEd issued this clarification after Malacañang Press Briefer Daphne Oseña-Paez
said Vice President and Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary will be
presenting a revised K-12 curriculum before the month ends.
“...The Department of Education, the Secretary VP [Vice President] Inday Sara
Duterte presented the plans for inclusive learning, support for teachers, improving
the curriculum. The DepEd will be presenting a revised K-12 curriculum for basic ed
on January 30th,” she said.

The current K-12 program in the Philippines, which was implemented in 2012,
covers kindergarten, six years of primary education, four years of junior high school,
and two years of senior high school to prepare graduates for tertiary education,
middle-level skills development, employment and entrepreneurship.

Marcos earlier asked Duterte to carefully review the K-12 program, citing the need
to “develop” and “refine” the great pool of Filipino talent.

He also wanted the country's literacy rate to improve under his administration.

In his first State of the Nation Address in July last year, Marcos said the Philippines
should do better in international rankings when it comes to Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects.

Also during the Cabinet meeting, Marcos asked the Department of Social Welfare
and Development to remain on heightened alert amid the inclement weather.

Likewise, Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla presented

achievements in 2022 and plans for 2023.

“He highlighted the justice department’s theme of compassionate justice in keeping

with the directive of the president who asked that he check on legal representation
of prisoners based on the President’s experience in Ilocos Norte where he
remembered that many prisoners didn’t have access to lawyers,” Oseña-Paez said.

Achievements in other agencies including the Departments of the Interior and Local
Government, Agriculture, Agrarian Reform, Energy, Labor and Employment, Health,
Migrant Workers, Environment and Natural Resources were also discussed.

Oseña-Paez said the President also reminded agencies to “know what each other is
doing” and “maximize the synergy in order to work together to achieve the 8-point
socioeconomic agenda.” (PNA)

Alternative Learning System

institutionalized
By Azer Parrocha
January 5, 2021, 5:14 pm

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has institutionalized the Alternative

Learning System in Basic Education for out-of-school children in special cases
and adults.

This, after Duterte on December 23 signed Republic Act No. 11510 also
known as the Alternative Learning System Act which aims to provide
adequate, timely, and quality attention and support to the basic learning
needs of out-of-school children in special cases and adults including
indigenous peoples (IPs).

Under the law, the ALS program is expanded and strengthened 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."

The law guarantees equitable access for all learners, including those who
reside in the unreached, underserved, conflict-affected communities, and
communities in emergency situations to avail of systematic, flexible, and
appropriate alternative basic education programs outside of the formal
school system.

It also promotes lifelong learning opportunities anchored on the ALS K to 12

Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) that takes a holistic, integrated, and
intersectoral approach, and provide pathways across modes of learning that
will ensure learners will become caring, self-reliant, independent, productive,
and patriotic citizens by allowing such learners to pursue further education,
after participating in the ALS program and passing the accreditation and
equivalency assessment or certifications or both required by the Department
of Education (DepEd) or seek employment.

R.A. 11510 aims to hire, capacitate, and develop ALS Teachers, Community
ALS Implementers and Learning Facilitators to deliver a range of ALS
programs especially in far-flung, unserved, underserved, conflict-affected
communities and communities in emergency situations.

It is also meant to design specialized programs for learners with disabilities,

taking into consideration their different levels of learning needs and other
functional difficulties in the development of instructional materials and
learning resources in an accessible format.

The law aims to develop, integrate, and use nonformal and informal
education approaches and strategies in the delivery of the ALS programs and
the assessment of learning outcomes and competences of ALS learners by
providing flexibility in the duration of learning programs, learning contents,
and delivery strategies, among others.

It is also meant to improve access to education and other learning

opportunities and raise the level of literacy to contribute to an individual's
sustainable future and strengthen non-formal basic education programs
while ensuring support to the policy of the DepEd that school-age children
should be enrolled in formal education, and that they should be able to
return to the formal education system if they drop out.

Bureau of Alternative Education

The Bureau of Alternative Education (BAE), under the new law, will be
created to serve as the focal office for the ALS programs of the DepEd. It will
be headed by a Director.

The BAE will also be the focal office for the policy formation, curriculum
development, learning program delivery, and learning materials
development for the ALS program.

To ensure the effective implementation of the ALS, the BAE must establish
quality assurance and support systems and undertake regular learner
assessment activities.

The DepEd must strengthen the range of priority NFE programs including
Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) Programs; Indigenous Peoples
Education Program; Academic-Focused Bridging Programs; and Functional
Education and Literacy Programs.

It may use appropriate, relevant, and responsive learning modalities to

effectively deliver the programs including modular instruction; online, digital
or mobile learning; face-to-face learning sessions and tutorials; radio or
television-based instruction; blended learning or a combination of various
modalities; and workshops, simulations, and internships to inculcate life
skills, work readiness, and entrepreneurship, and the provision of inclusive
and safe learning environments.

DepEd must also prescribe the appropriate minimum number of months

required for the completion of each of the different ALS programs to ensure
that the learners enrolled are provided with adequate and quality basic
education and skills to complete the required competencies of the ALS K to
12 BEC.

It will also be in charge of regularly conducting ALS and A&E assessments

and certifications as a means to measure and certify competencies of ALS
program completers and other learners who opt to secure elementary and
secondary-level certifications. It must also conduct micro-certification of
subsets of competencies drawn from the ALS K to 12 BEC.

ALS Teachers

To reach more out-of-school children in special cases and adults and to

accommodate learners with disabilities, the ALS Teachers program will be
strengthened.

The DepEd, in consultation with the Department of Budget and Management

and the Civil Service Commission, must create teaching positions and
allocate the corresponding salary grades.

It may also engage the services of Community ALS Implementers to augment

the needed human resource requirements for the delivery of ALS programs,
provided that three years after the effectivity of this act, the DepEd will hire
only ALS Teachers.

ALS Teachers are entitled to promotion to the next higher levels based on
the qualification standards of the CSC. The DepEd must ensure equal
opportunities and standard implementation on the promotion and
compensation of ALS Teachers.

The DepEd, in coordination with other partners in government, academe, and

the private sector, must develop and conduct regular training programs and
workshops for ALS Teachers, Community ALS Implementers, and Learning
Facilitators to ensure that they have the necessary knowledge and capacity
to carry out the programs under the ALS curriculum as well as enhance their
skills on their roles as academic, administrative, and community leaders.

The same benefits and professional development packages awarded to

regular teachers in terms of fellowships, scholarships, and training
opportunities in all learning areas of the basic education curriculum must
also be given to ALS Teachers.

The DepEd or the LGUs or both must provide at least one ALS Community
Learning Center (CLC) in every municipality and city throughout the country
to facilitate a learning environment for the ALS K to 12 BEC and other ALS
programs.

Priority should be given to areas where there is limited access to formal

basic education or a higher concentration of out-of-school children in special
cases, or adults lacking basic literacy skills or have dropped out of formal
school or both.

To augment the number of existing ALS CLCs and those provided under this
act, the facilities of all DepEd schools throughout the country must likewise
be used as learning centers during no class days and after regular class
hours during class days.

Guidelines must be developed by the BAE in collaboration with the strands of

operations and administration of the DepEd on the use of facilities of public
schools for the delivery of ALS programs.

Each ALS CLC must be constructed in accordance with the specifications,

criteria, and other details provided and approved by the DepEd in
consultation with the municipal or city mayor or duly authorized LGU
representative to ensure the orderly implementation of the ALS programs.

To ensure that every learner has equitable access to ALS programs, every
CLC must be open and operational seven days a week and be provided with
adequate learning resources and facilities, including a space for childcare for
parents attending ALS classes.

The Local Schools Boards must be authorized to set aside a portion of the
proceeds of the Special Education Fund for the delivery of ALS programs
within the LGUs' respective areas of jurisdiction, including, but not limited to,
the hiring of additional Community ALS Implementers within the LGU's area
of jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, the DepEd, in partnership with LGUs and the private sector, must
conduct a mandatory annual review of the ALS program and submit such
annual report to Congress to measure its effectiveness and ensure its proper
implementation.

An evaluation system must be established to assess the impact of the ALS

program and the progress of the learners who have completed the
program. (PNA)