SAN JOSE, Antique – Mothers and barangay officials who have difficulty reading and counting can also benefit from the Alternative Learning System (ALS).
ALS does not only help school dropouts or out-of-school youth (OSY), said Gideon Agustin, mobile teacher in Tibiao, Antique.
“Barangay officials and mothers particularly in far-flung barangays also enroll in ALS to be adept in reading and arithmetic,” he said.
About 10 percent of the total ALS learners (610) in Tibiao are mothers or barangay officials, said Agustin.
They want to be skillful in reading and arithmetic so they can be competent in dealing with their jobs as barangay kagawads, nutrition scholars, health volunteers and tanods, added Agustin.
Their learning can be more valuable during election time, said Agustin, because some of them used to assist incapacitated voters.
For mothers, Agustin said, the program is more useful especially in reading prescription medicines for their children and in making follow ups to their lessons in school.
For out-of-school youth, they will be given 10 months of learning sessions then be allowed to take the acceleration and equivalency examination to determine their year level. A corresponding certificate of completion will be given.
For those in the elementary and high school levels, after the equivalency examination they will be allowed to get back to the formal schooling depending on the level they have passed.
But for those who are 18 years old and above, they have the option to proceed to college or avail themselves of skills training and seek employment.
With the nationwide mapping of the OSYs, more youth are expected to go back to school or avail themselves of skills and technical training from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Labor and Employment and other designated agencies. (PIA-Antique/PN)