S. No.

1365
H. No. 6910
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Begun and held in Metro Manila, on Monday, the twenty-seventh

day of July, two thousand twenty.

[ Republic Act No. 11510]

AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE ALTERNATIVE
LEARNING SYSTEM IN BASIC EDUCATION FOR OUT-
OF-SCHOOL CHILDREN IN SPECIAL CASES AND
ADULTS AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the

Philippines in Congress assembled:

Section l. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as

the “Alternative Learning System Act”.

Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the

policy of the State to promote the right of aU citizens to quality
education at all leyels and take the appropriate steps to make
such education accessible to aU. The State shall likewise give
the highest priority to the enactment of measures that promote
human development and the acceleration of social progress,
thereby reducing social, economic and political inequalities.
 Towards this end, the State shall provide the out-of-school
children in special cases and adults with opportunities to
improve their knowledge, values, life skills, and readiness for
higher education, work or self-employment through a system
of nonformal or indigenous education, or both which are
tailored to respond to their learning needs and life
circumstances. The State shall also ensure the close
partnership and collaboration between the government and the
private sector in achieving this goal.

Sec. 3. Objectives. - This Act aims to achieve the

following objectives:

(a) 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;
(b) Guarantee equitable access for aU 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;
(c) Promote lifelong learning opportunities anchored on the
Alternative Learning System (ALS) K to 12 Basic Education
Curriculum (BEC) that takes a hoUstic, integrated and inter­
sectoral approach, and provide pathways across modes of
learning that will ensure learners will become caring, self-
rehant, 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 assessments or certifications, or both required
by the Department of Education (DepEd), or seek employment;

(d) Hire, capacitate, and deploy ALS Teachers,

Community ALS Implementors and Learning Facihtators to
deliver a range of ALS programs especially in far-flung,
unserved, underserved, conflict-affected communities, and
communities in emergency situations;
(e) Design specialized programs for learners with
disabihties, taking into consideration their different levels of
learning needs and other functional difficulties in the
development of instructional materials and learning resources
in accessible format;
(f) Develop, integrate, and utilize nonformal zind informal
education approaches and strategies in the dehveiy of the ALS
programs and the assessment of learning outcomes and
competencies of ALS learners by providing flexibility in the
duration of learning programs, learning contents, and delivery
strategies, among others;

(g) Improve access to education and other learning

opportunities and raise the level of Uteracy to contribute to
an individual’s sustainable future; and

(h) Strengthen nonformal basic education programs while

ensuring support to the pohcy 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 in
the event that they drop out.
Sec. 4. Definition of Terms. — For purposes of this Act:

(a) Alternative Learning System K to 12 Basic Education

Curriculum (ALS K to 12 shall refer to the
comprehensive curriculum indicating the competency, content,
key stages, and standards for the ALS pirogram under this
Act. The ALS K to 12 BEG is benchmarked on the DepEd
K to 12 formal school curriculum and focuses on. the 21st
Century Skills: information, media and technology skills,
learning and innovation skills, communication skills, and life
and career skills.

(b) Alternative Learning System Teachers (ALS Teachers)

shall refer to DepEd employed teachers who implement the
ALS programs.

(c) Academic-Focused Bridging Programs shall refer to

ALS programs that provide continuing learning opportunities
to accreditation and equivalency secondary level test passers
who wish to better prepare for the academic demands and
study skills requirements of tertiary level education or post­
secondary vocational training, or both. ,
 (d) Accreditation and Equivalency Assessments and
Certifications (A&E Assessments and Certifications) shall refer
to a process in ALS that comprises exams and other
assessments deemed appropriate and anchored on the
competencies of the ALS K to 12 BEG.
(e) Accreditation and Equivalency Program (A&E
Program) shall refer to a program in ALS aimed at providing
an alternative pathway of learning for out-of-school children
in special cases and adults who have not completed basic
education. Through this program, school dropouts are able to
complete elementary and secondary education outside the formal
school system.
(f) Adult shall refer to a person at least eighteen (18)
years of age and above.
(g) Alternative Learning System (ALS) shall refer to a
parallel learning system that provides a viable alternative to
the existing formal education instruction. It encompasses both
nonformal and informal sources of knowledge and skills.

(h) Basic Literacy Program shall refer to the program

component of ALS that is aimed at eradicating illiteracy
among out-of-school children in special cases and adults by
developing basic literacy skills of reading, writing, numeracy,
and simple comprehension.

(i) Community Alternative Learning System

Implementors (Community ALS Implementors) shall refer to
persons engaged either by the DepEd or any local government
unit (LGU) to dehver ALS programs to out-of-school children
in special cases and adults.

(j) Community Learning Center (CLC) shall refer to a

physical space to house learning resources and facilities of a
learning program for out-of-school children in special cases and
adults. It is a venue for face-to-face learning activities and
other learning opportunities for community development and
improvement of the people’s quality of life.
(k) Functional Education and Literacy Programs shall
refer to short-term nonformal education programs designed to
help socioeconomically disadvantaged learners to upgrade a
targeted set of skills, knowledge and selected competencies in
the ALS K to 12 BEC in order to improve their social, political
and economic well-being and function more effectively as
citizens, parents, workers and members of the community.
(l) Indigenous Peoples refer to. a group of people or
homogenous societies identified by self-ascription and ascription
by others, who have continuously lived as organized
community on communally bounded and defined territory, and
who have under claims of ownership since time immemorial,
occupied, possessed and utilized such territories, sharing
common bonds of language, customs, tradition and other
distinctive cultural traits or who have, through resistance to
political, social and cultural inroads of colonization became
historically differentiated from the majority of the Filipinos.

(m) Indigenous Peoples Education shall refer to the

program that supports education initiatives undertaken
through formal, nonformal, and informal modalities with
emphasis on any of, but not limited to, the key areas of
indigenous knowledge systems and practices and community
history, indigenous languages, indigenous learning system
(ILS), and community life cycle-based curriculum and
assessment, educational goals, aspirations and competencies
specific to the indigenous cultural community (ICC),
engagement of elders and other commimity members in the
teaching-learning process, assessment, and management of the
initiative, recognition and continuing practice of the
communities ILS, and the rights and responsibilities of ICCs.

(n) Informal Education shall refer to diverse forms of

learning that are intentional or deliberate but are not
institutionalized. It is a lifelong process of learning by which
every person acquires and accumulates knowledge, skills,
attitudes and insights fix>m daily experiences at home, at work,
. at play and from life itself towards literacy.

(o) Learners with Disabilities shall refer to those who

have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory
impairments which in interaction with various barriers may
hinder their full and effective participation in society on equal
basis with others.
 (p) Learning Facilitators shall refer to teachers financed
by the private sector who implement ALS programs. The
private sector shall include nongovernment organizations or
associations, civil society organizations, or individuals.
(q) Micro-certification, also known as micro-credentialing,
shall refer to a flexible means of certifying attainment of
specific elements of ALS K to 12 minimum competencies which
can be used by the holder as credential such as in job
apphcation, recruitment and selection.

(r) Nonformal Education (NFE) shall refer to any

organized and systematic educational activity carried outside
the framework of the formal education system to provide
selected types of learning to a segment of the population.

(s) Out-of-School Children in Special Cases shall refer

to children in the official school age who are not enrolled in
the elementary or secondary schools due to special cases such
as economic, geographic, pohtical, cultural, or social barriers,
including learners with disabihties or conditions, indigenous
peoples, children in conflict with the law, learners in
emergency situations, and other marginaUzed sectors.
Sec. 5. Institutionalizing the ALS. - The ALS is hereby
institutionahzed to strengthen and expand 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 Uteracy and life skills, and
pursue an equivalent pathway to complete basic education.

Sec. 6. Bureau of Alternative Education (BAE). - The

Bureau of Alternative Education (BAE) shall be created to
serve as the focal office for the implementation of the ALS
programs of the DepEd. It shall be headed by a Director.
Sec. 7. Powers and Functions of the BAE. - The BAE
shall serve as the focal office for the policy formulation,
curriculum development, learning program delivery and
learning materials development for the ALS program. To
ensure the efiective implementation of the ALS, the BAE shall
establish quality assurance and support systems and
undertake regular learner assessment activities. It shall have
the following powers and functions:

(a) Establish minimum quality standards in the

development of the ALS curricidum and learning materials,
program plaiming, implementation, monitoring, evduation, and
management, including certification of learning outcomes,
recognition of service providers, competency standards for ALS
personnel, and requirements for ALS learning environments,
among others;

(b) Promote and ensure the certification and accreditation

of learners through alternative learning programs, both
nonformal and informal in nature, as anchored on the
competencies of the ALS K to 12 EEC;

(c) In partnership with other government agencies, LGUs,

and the private sector, ensure access to educational
opportunities for learners of different interests, learning needs,
capabilities, demographic characteristics, and socioeconomic
status, who have been unable to complete formal basic
education;

(d) Coordinate with various agencies and industries for

skills development to promote the learners’ employability,
efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness in the labor
market, as well as assist the learners to become entrepreneurs;

(e) Coordinate, encourage dose partnerships, and establish

linkages with LGUs and the private sector on matters
pertaining to the sustainable implementation of ALS programs,
post-program support activities and community mapping, and
manage a nationwide database for out-of-school children in
special cases and adults; and

(f) Such other powers and functions as may be necessary

for the effective and effident implementation of ALS programs,
projects, and activities.

Sec. 8. ALS Programs. — The DepEd shall strengthen

the implementation of a range of priority NFE programs
including, but not limited to, the following:
(a) Basic Literacy Program;
 (b) A&E Programs;
(c) Indigenous Peoples Education Program;

(d) Academic-Focused Bridging Programs; and

(e) Functional Education and Literacy Programs.

To effectively deliver the NFE pro^ams, the DepEd may

utilize appropriate, relevant and responsive learning modalities,
such as:
(a) Modular instruction;

(b) Online, digital or mobile learning;

(c) Face-to-face learning sessions and tutorials;

(d) Radio or television-based instruction;

(e) Blended learning or a combination of various modalities;
(f) Workshops, simulations, and internship to inculcate
life skills, work readiness, and entrepreneurship; and

(g) Provision of inclusive and safe learning environments.

SEC. 9. Duration of ALS Programs. - The DepEd shall
prescribe the appropriate minimum number of months required
for the completion of each of the different ALS programs to
ensure that the learners enrolled therein are provided with
adequate and quality basic education and skills to complete
the required competencies of the ALS K to 12 BEC.

Sec. 10. A&E Assessment and Certification for ALS

Learners. - The DepEd shall regularly conduct ALS 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 shall also conduct micro-certification of subsets
of competencies drawn from the ALS K to 12 BEC. Such
assessments and certifications can be done both at the national
and local levels.
 Those who pass elementary level A&E are qualified to
enroll in junior high school.
Those who pass the junior high school A&E are qualified
for’ senior high school or may enroll in selected technical
vocational education and training programs, as appropriate,
through the Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority (TESDA).

Those who pass the senior high school level A&E are
qualified for higher education, as appropriate, provided that
they comply with the other basic documentary requirements
set by the schools or higher education institutions (HEIs) as
requirements for emroUment. They may also enroll in technical
vocational education and training programs, as appropriate,
through the TESDA.
The DepEd shall develop supplemental learning programs
for passers of the ALS A&E assessments and certifications to
enhance their college readiness and facilitate their gainful
emplojmient or self-employment.
Measures shall be undertaken in order for the general
public, especially educational and training institutions,
government agencies, and employers to recognize the nature
and value of certifications provided to ALS learners.

Sec. 11. Hiring and Promotion of ALS Teachers;

Expansion of the ALS Teachers Program. - To reach more
out-of-scho61 children in special cases and adults and to
accommodate learners with disabilities, the ALS Teachers
program shall be strengthened.

The DepEd, in consultation with the Department of

Budget and Management and the Civil Service Commission
(CSC), shall create teaching positions and allocate the
corresponding salary grades.

The DepEd shall also engage the services of Community

ALS. Implementors to augment the needed human resource
requirements for the delivery of ALS programs, provided that
three (3) years after the effectivity of this Act, the DepEd shall
hire only ALS Teachers.
10
ALS Teachers are entitled to promotion to the next higher
levels based on the qualification standards of the CSC. The
DepEd shall ensure equal opportunities and standard
implementation on the promotion and compensation of ALS
Teachers.
Sec. 12. ALS Teachers Education and Training. — In
coordination with the Commission on Higher Education
(CHED) and other relevant partners in the government,
academe, and the private sector, and in order to promote the
professional growth of ALS Teachers, the DepEd shall develop
and conduct regular training programs and workshops for ALS
Teachers, Community ALS Implementors 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 aU learning areas
of the basic education curriculum shall also be given to ALS
Teachers.
Sec. 13. Provision of an ALS CLC. - The DepEd or the
LGUs, or both shall provide at least one (1) ALS CLC in every
municipality and city throughout the country to facilitate a
learning environment for the fuU implementation of 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 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 shall likewise be used as learning
centers during no class days and after regular class hours
during class days. Guidelines shall 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.
 II
Each ALS CLC shall 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 ALS programs.
Further, to ensure that every learner has equitable access
to ALS programs, every CLC shall be open and operational
seven (7) days a week and be provided with adequate learning
resources and facilities, including a space for childcare for
parents attending ALS classes.

Sec. 14. Recognition of ALS Providers, Standards of

ALS Service Delivery, and System of Rewards and Incentives.
- The DepEd shall encourage partnerships with the private
sector to ensure a sustainable implementation of ALS
programs. The DepEd shall create a system of recognition and
monitoring of service providers. In consultation with such
providers, the DepEd shall formulate and adopt a" set of
standards of service delivery, including the qualification,
deployment, training, remuneration, and system of rewards
and incentives which are responsive to the needs and distinct
situations of the particular areas where the implementors or
facilitators, or both serve. The DepEd shall include in the
Implementing Rules and Regulations of this Act the minimum
requirements and conditions for such set of standards to ensure
quality delivery of ALS programs.

Sec. 15. Partnership with Government Agencies. - To

effectively dehver quality ALS programs, the DepEd shall
partner with the following government agencies in the
implementation of this Act:
(a) CHED - The CHED shall assist the DepEd in
promoting among HEIs the admission of ALS A&E passers.
It shall support the DepEd in the development of college
readiness supplemental programs and provide access to
scholarships. The CHED shall likewise develop a standardized
and formalized ALS curriculum for a specialized degree in ALS
teaching;
(b) TESDA - The TESDA shall assist the DepEd in
equipping ALS learners with technical-vocational skills and
12
provide access to national certification, as applicable, to
improve their work readiness. It shall support the DepEd in
implementing post-program support activities including
providing access to scholarships;

(c) Department of Labor and Employment - The

Department of Labor and Employment shall promote gainful
employment, on-the-joh training, and apprenticeship
opportunities for ALS learners;

(d) Department of Trade and Industry - The Department

of Trade and Industry, in partnership with the DepEd, shall
promote opportunities for entrepreneurship, including access to
micro-financing and seed capital to ALS learners;

(e) Department of Agriculture - The Department of

Agriculture, in partnership with the DepEd, shall develop a
training program for ALS learners and promote opportunities
for agricultural entrepreneurship, including easy access to
credit;
(f) Department of Social Welfare and Development - The
Department of Social Welfare and Development shall support
the DepEd by sharing its community mapping data, referring
prospective learners, and providing access to other social
services to ALS learners;
(g) Department of the Interior and Local Government
(DILG) - The Department of the Interior and Local
Government shall help enlist the support of LGUs as DepEd
partners in the implementation of ALS programs. The DepEd
shall coordinate with the DILG on matters requiring LGU
participation including, but not Hmited to, the generation and
mapping of data related to education as a dimension of poverty
under Republic Act No. 11315 or the “Community-Based
Monitoring System Act”;

(h) Department of Justice - The Department of Justice

shall collaborate with the DepEd to facihtate, expand, and
strengthen the implementation of ALS programs for persons
deprived of liberty;
(i) National Commission on Indigenous Peoples - The
National Commission on Indigenous Peoples shall assist the
 13

DepEd to develop a culturally responsive curriculum that

respects and takes into account the indigenous knowledge
system and practices and indigenous learning systems. Such
curriculum shall be integrated with the prescribed ALS
curriculum;
(j) Department of Information and Communications
Technology - The Department of Information and
Communications Technology shall help the DepEd in the ALS
implementation by providing digital resources to the various
ALS CLCs and guidance for the digital literacy component of
the ALS K to 12 BEC and the ALS NFE programs;
(k) Department of Health - The Department of Health
gbnll assist ALS Teachers in the delivery of health education
and other services that promote the health and weU-being of
ALS learners, especially female childbearing youth and adult
learners. It shall partner with the DepEd in providing ALS
programs for qualified patients of its various, drug-treatment
and rehabilitation centers; and
(l) Such other relevant government agencies whose
mandated functions and mechanisms are necessary to
effectively and sustainably implement the ALS programs.

Sec. 16. Partnership with LGUs. — The DepEd shall

partner with LGUs in the delivery of ALS programs to their
constituents. LGUs shall, in partnership with other government
agencies and stakeholders,. help to identify and mobilize
prospective ALS learners, provide access to conducive learning
environment, contribute available resources to ALS programs,
such, as Community ALS Imlplementors and ALS CLC sites,
promote post-program activities, and introduce local
innovations as may be necessary.
Sec. 17. Local School Board. - The Local School Board,
estabUshed pursuant to Republic Act No. 7160 or the “Local
Government Code , of 1991”, shall perform the following
additional functions in the delivery of ALS programs:
(a) Coordinate ALS implementation, with the . DepEd at
the city or municipal level, including the identification of
priority ALS programs, provision of technical assistance to
14

ALS Teachers, program monitoring and evaluation, and

coordination with government and private sector partners for
post-program support activities;

(b) Coordinate with the DepEd the determination of the

annual supplementary budgetary needs for the operation and
maintenance of ALS programs within the city or municipahty;

(c) Ensure the implementation of community literacy

mapping activities within the city or municipality and
coordinate with the harangays, the private sector, and other
agencies in the identification of out-of-school children in special
cases and adults, who have not yet completed their basic
education; and

(d) Coordinate with the DepEd regarding the provision,

operation and maintenance of ALS CLCs.

Sec. 18. Special Education Fund Authorization. -

Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 235 and 272 of the
Local Government Code of 1991, the Local School Boards aba]]
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 hmited to, the hiring of additional Community ALS
Implementors within the LGU’s area of jurisdiction.

Sec. 19. Mandatory Annual Review and Impact

Assessment of the ALS Program. — The DepEd, in partnership
with LGUs and the private sector, shall 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 shall be estabhshed to assess the

impact of the ALS program and the progress of the learners
who have completed the program.

Sec. 20. Prohibition from Collection of Fees. - All

DepEd ALS programs are free of charge and collection of all
kinds of fees, costs or charges shall not be allowed. ALS
Teachers, Community ALS Implementors, and officers of DepEd
administered CLCs found to have violated this provision shall
be held administratively hable.
 15
Sec. 21. Tax Incentives. - Any donation, contribution,
or grant, in cash or services, whether local or foreign, which
may be made by individuals and organizations, including
private entities which shall provide the appropriate services,
materials, and delivery support services for the promotion of
the ALS program, shall be exempt from the donor’s tax and
the cost of which shall be considered as an allowable deduction
from the gross income in the computation of the income tax
of the donor in accordance with the provisions of the National
Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended.

Sec. 22. Transportation and Teaching Aid Allowance for

ALS Teachers and Community ALS Implementors. —
Notwithstanding the receipt of special hardship and cash
allowances, ALS Teachers and Community ALS Implementors
shall be entitled to their corresponding transportation and
teaching aid allowances subject to guidelines that may be
issued by the DepEd.
Sec. 23. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the
implementation of this Act shall be charged against those
authorized in the current appropriations of the DepEd.
Thereafter, the amount necessary for the continued
implementation of this Act, including the construction or
provision of the ALS CLCs and the pasonent of transportation
and teaching aid allowance for ALS Teachers and Community
ALS Implementors, shall be included in the annual General
Appropriations Act.
Sec. 24. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within
ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act, the DepEd,
in consiiltation with concerned government agencies and other
education stakeholders, shall formulate the rules and
regulations implementing the provisions of this Act. The
Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) issued pursuant to
this section shall take effect thirty (30) days after its
publication in a newspaper of general circulation.
Sec. 25. Transitory Provision. - All existing ALS
programs, including ALS centers or facilities, established
pursuant to the provisions of Repubhc Act No. 9165 or the
“Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001” shall continue
to operate pursuant to, and be reg\ilated by, the provisions of
this Act and its IRR.
 16

Sec. 26. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this

Act is held invalid or unconstitutional, the other provisions
not so declared shall remain in force and effect.

Sec. 27. Repealing Clause. - All laws, orders, and rules

and regulations contrary to, or inconsistent with, the provisions
of this Act are hereby repealed or amended accordingly.

Sec. 28. Effectiuity. - Notwithstanding the non-issuance

of the IRR, this Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after
its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of
general circulation.

Approved,

LORD Q. VELASCO VICSNTE C. KOTTO III

Speaker's^the House President of the Senate
of Representatives

This Act which is a consolidation of Senate Bill No. 1365

and House Bill No. 6910 was passed by the Senate of the
Philippines on October 6, 2020 and the House of
Representatives in a special session on October 16, 2020.

JOCELIA BIGHANI C. SIPIN MYRA MARIE D. VILLARICA

Secretary General Secretary of the Senate
House of Representatives

Approved; DEC 2 3 £020

RODRIGCKROA DUTERTE
President of the Philippines

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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
PRRS 2016 - 016218