The UP Diliman University Council (UC) approved on March 20 the College of Education’s (CEd) curriculum proposal for the Minor in Alternative Learning System (ALS) program, boosting efforts to to provide alternative means of education to marginalized Filipino learners.
According to Prof. Maria Mercedes E. Arzadon, one of the proponents of the minor program, the UC’s approval means that any student from the College of Education and other UP colleges can take the program to be a mobile teacher, instructional manager, administrator, material creator, researcher, resource generator, policy analyst, and advocate for ALS in the Department of Education (DepEd), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), local government units (LGUs), foundations, and other ALS providers.
“Ito ang ambag ng aming kolehiyo sa ALS cause. Sana marami ring colleges/universities ang maki-ambag (ayon sa new ALS Law RA 11510, bawat HEI should have their undergrad program for ALS),” Prof. Arzadon said in her Facebook post announcing the UC decision.
This is the country’s first minor program, and its approval was reported in the media.
Philstar.com, an online arm of the Star Group of Publications which publishes The Philippine STAR, reported that approval in its March 21 story by Cristina Chi titled, “UP to offer minor in alternative learning to create more community teachers.”
The story said that the program was the first of its kind in the country which would allow students to specialize in teaching marginalized communities.
Further, it cited statistics showing that the Philippines had seven million out-of-school youth, the fifth largest in the world, which led to the passage of a law to institutionalize ALS in 2020.
Scout, a publication of Hinge Inquirer Publications, also picked up the story on the institutionalization of the Minor Program in ALS.
In the story by Kleo Catienza titled, “PH’s first-ever minor program in alternative learning will soon be offered at UP,” Scout also started by reporting on UPD’s historic approval of the ALS minor program.
In the story, it explained that ALS was a parallel learning system giving an alternative pathway for those who had no access to formal education.
