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Disparities, opportunities and alternative learning in the philippines: a descriptive study of two alternative learning systems for out-of-school youth.

Rosselle Trishia Reyes Follow

Date of Award

Document type, degree name.

Master of Science in Social Development

Sociology and Anthropology

First Advisor

Enrique Niño P. Leviste, PhD

Alternative Learning System (ALS) has been present in the Philippines along with other types of non-formal education since pre-colonial times. It has been established specifically to provide opportunities for the marginalized out-of-school youth (OSY). This study aims to address the role of ALS in fostering agency among its beneficiaries. It covers both the positive and negative impacts of selected programs in the lives of the youth including their views and understandings of alternative education. Further, the study asks if ALS provides further opportunities for its beneficiaries?, or if the program only reinforces existing social inequalities, or both. To realize this, Amartya Sen’s Capabilities Approach was used to analyze the role of ALS in providing opportunities to the marginalized sector while Pierre Bourdieu’s Social and Cultural Reproduction identifies the disparities present in ALS. The study focuses on two cases of ALS for OSYs, Don Bosco PUGAD and iCare YESNova. In-depth interviews and direct observation with current students, graduates of the institutions, directors and administrators were conducted to acquire the necessary information for the study. Using Nvivo coding, common themes identified from interviews and secondary sources were triangulated to acquire multiple views and to understand the meanings behind the statements. The results show that ALS offers opportunities and platforms for the marginalized sector to exercise their agency effectively. However, the experiences of the youth while in the program were not all positive. Despite opening up opportunities for out-of-school youth, ALS programs are also structures that reinforce social inequalities. Such can be the paradox of educational programs, alternative or mainstream.

Recommended Citation

Reyes, R. (2021). Disparities, Opportunities and Alternative Learning in the Philippines: A Descriptive Study of Two Alternative Learning Systems for Out-of-School Youth. Ateneo de Manila University. https://archium.ateneo.edu/theses-dissertations/560

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Challenges in the Implementation of Alternative Learning System

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ALS Curriculum Implementation for Juvenile Delinquents in Urban and Rural Areas in the Philippines: A Comparative Analysis

Purpose: The aim of this research study is to evaluate the implementation of Alternative Learning System (ALS) curriculum offered to juvenile delinquents in urban and rural areas in the Philippines. The study also aims to determine whether the current education programs meet the needs of the juvenile delinquents with reference to Juvenile delinquency acts. The study is an attempt to highlight the aspects of Alternative Learning System (ALS) that should be developed.  Approach/Methodology/Design: The study is qualitative and conducted in Marikina City and Rizal province, the Philippines. This study used exploratory study analysis. The respondents are the Alternative Learning System (ALS) teachers. For data collection, three semi-structured interviews were employed and the respondents’ answers were categorized using analytical coding to compare and analyze the implementation of the ALS curriculum for juvenile delinquents. Findings: The interpretation and analysis of the data collected shows that the ALS teachers from both the rural and urban areas have the same experiences on the implementation of the ALS program for juvenile delinquents in terms of curriculum, instruction and assessment. Furthermore, the teachers gave an emphasis that once the juvenile delinquents undergo the program, they are given a new hope and new direction in life to pursue their dreams. Lastly, the teachers from both areas have the same suggestions for the improvement of the implementation of the program, such as additional funds for the development of quality learning materials, increasing the number of learning centers, and designing various forms of assessment.  Practical Implications: The study will contribute positively to the understanding of Alternative learning System. The significance of this study lies in the comparison of the alternative learning system curriculum and how it is implemented to the juvenile delinquents in urban and in rural areas. Originality/value: This study engages ALS teachers in assessing the ALS curriculum, reflecting actual experiences to meet the expectations and needs of the juvenile delinquents.

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Evaluation of an Alternative Learning System for youths at risk of involvement in urban violence in the Philippines

• Nishant Mehra   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6462-9455 1 , 2 ,
• Shr-Jie Sharlenna Wang 1 ,
• Juancho Reyes 3 ,
• Mette Møhl Ambjørnsen 1 &
• Johan Jarl 2  

Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation volume  19 , Article number:  66 ( 2021 ) Cite this article

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Globally, violence disproportionately affects young people, leading to injury, hospitalisation, death, social dysfunction, and poor mental wellbeing. Moreover, it has far-reaching economic consequences for whole nations, due to loss of productivity. Research suggests that attaining a higher level of education promotes factors that insulate youths from poverty and violence.

In this study, we investigated the outcomes, the cost, and the cost-effectiveness of a non-formal education program with an additional psychosocial component. The short-term outcome measure was an increase in educational attainment, a crucial step for youth empowerment. The program analysed was the Alternative Learning System (ALS) offered by the Balay Rehabiliation Centre in Bagong Silang, an urban slum in Manila, which targeted out of school youth.

The cost-effectiveness analysis of ALS compared to a ‘do nothing approach’ was performed from the perspective of the service provider. The study sample comprised 239 learners who were enrolled in the ALS during 2015–2018. For the ‘do nothing’ comparator, a counterfactual scenario was hypothesised. The average cost of the intervention per enrolled learner, and the incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) for passing the Accreditation and Evaluation (A&E) exam at elementary or secondary level, were calculated.

The ALS intervention studied resulted in 41% (n = 97) of the learners passing the examination over a period of four years (from 2015–2018). The estimated total cost of the intervention was $371,110, corresponding to $1550 per enrolled learner. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for a pass in the exam was found to be $3830. Compared to other, international, alternative learning interventions, the ALS intervention as used in Bagong Silang was found to be more cost-effective.

From the service provider perspective, the ALS for out-of-school young people was found to be a valuable investment to benefit poor young people living in slums in Manila .

Introduction

Globally, violence puts an immense strain on health care expenditure, and has far reaching consequences for national economies, due to loss of productivity and an increase in the expense of law enforcement [ 1 ]. Household poverty and neighborhood deprivation are both strongly related to youth violence [ 2 , 3 ]. Among young people, violence is often used as a tool to gain self-esteem when they are exposed to adversities. This is often seen among people who are forced to live under impoverished circumstances [ 2 ]. Violence is a characteristic of the area where our study was performed, Bagong Silang, a Barangay (a large municipal entity) in the city of Manila with a population of approximately 240,000 [ 4 ]. It was established in the 1970s as a relocation site for slum-dwellers who had previously lived in different parts of Metro Manila. Since its establishment, there have been immense socioeconomic and political problems in Bagong Silang, associated with experiences of all types of violence and torture [ 4 , 5 ]. Common problems are lack of employment opportunities, socioeconomic inequalities, teenage pregnancies, child abuse and drug addiction [ 4 ]. Balay Rehabilitation Centre (BRC), a non-governmental organization based in Manila supports vulnerable young people who are at risk of involvement in violence. BRC practices psychosocial rehabilitation based on evidence-based community led interventions, such as encouraging nurturing relationships between parents and children, raising awareness on human rights, offering psychosocial counselling services to victims of violence and promoting skill development through alternative educational interventions. Low levels of education has been shown to be a risk factor for poverty and violent behavior, especially among young people [ 7 ]. In 2015, around 14% of young people in the age group of 15–29 years living in Manila dropped out of school [ 8 ], mainly due to lack of personal interest and the high cost of education [ 9 ]. Based on the overview of the empowerment theory applied to youth violence prevention programs, we hypothesized that youths can be empowered to move out of poverty and reduce the risk of exposure to violence by raising their educational level and equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary for the labor market [ 10 ].

An Alternative Learning System (ALS) program was initiated in 2004 by the Department of Education, Government of the Philippines, throughout the country with the aim of providing school drop outs with access to free basic education [ 11 ]. In 2015, the national average of the target population enrolled in ALS was less than 10% and in Manila enrollment was around 6% [ 8 ].

The ALS program is a non-formal education program that is free of charge for the participants (referred to as "learners" from this point). Enrollment in ALS allows the learners to take the ALS Accreditation and Evaluation (A&E) Exam, offered by the government, where a pass is considered comparable to graduation from the formal education system [ 12 ]. Through implementation of different programs utilizing various delivery methods, ALS strives to reach and help learners in ways that fit their distinct needs [ 11 ].

Description of the intervention

The study described here investigated the ALS program as one part of a larger youth empowerment program as planned and run by BRC targeting children, adolescents and young adults exposed to violence in Bagong Silang, Manila. The total population in Bagong Silang is around 245,000 and nearly 19% are aged 16–24 years old [ 5 ]. Though the school dropout rate at the national level is about 14%, the rate is likely to be higher in Bagong Silang, around 20%. Therefore, we assume that this ALS targeted around 5000–9800 at-risk youth in Bagong Silang. Our study population accounts for 4–8% of the community population.

The ALS program was advertised in Bagong Silang at the beginning of each academic year and new learners were recruited on a voluntary basis. The learners were first screened to ascertain their educational status, and classified into three levels: Basic Literacy; ALS Elementary; ALS Secondary, this terminology is defined in the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) for the formal mode of education [ 13 ]. At the time of recruitment, all learners were also interviewed about their experiences of violence in the community. Their psychosocial needs were assessed by individual interviews, focussed group discussions and home visitation to check living conditions and family dynamics. Based on their needs, targeted psychosocial interventions were offered to 22% of learners. These included case management through individual or group counselling sessions, psychoeducational sessions on topics such as anger management, self-esteem and reproductive health, and welfare assistance, including financial support for education and mental healthcare.

Educational sessions providing instruction in six interrelated learning streams (communication skill, scientific literacy and critical thinking, mathematical and problem solving skills, life and career skills, understanding self and society and digital citizenship) are offered as required for the A&E examination [ 14 ]. These sessions were offered three times a week at the ALS Centre in Bagong Silang, a small compound rented for conducting ALS teaching sessions and psychosocial activities. In the Basic Literacy program, the sessions lasted two hours, while for ALS Elementary and ALS Secondary lasted 4–5 h. The sessions ran for 10 months per year, from January to October, and at the end learners took the ALS Accreditation and Evaluation (A&E) Exam conducted by the Department of Education [ 11 ]. Two ALS instruction managers (teachers) conducted the education sessions. One psychosocial worker managed the psychosocial activities. A project supervisor, a project coordinator, one researcher and an administrative staff supported the smooth implementation and running of the intervention.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the ALS intervention in Bagong Silang in terms of costs, short-term effects (education and employment), and cost-effectiveness from the service provider’s perspective.

This study is an evaluation of a real-world intervention and not a trial and baseline characteristics can therefore not be influenced. The study sample included all enrolled in ALS at Bagong Silang during the years 2015–2018. The costs and short-term effects were evaluated during the full period of the ALS program, January 2015 to October 2018. In addition to the implementation and running of the intervention, the period included the recruitment processes and examinations [ 8 ].

Data on outcomes was extracted directly from reports obtained from BRC. The primary short-term outcome measure used was educational attainment in terms of achieving an equivalency to formal school education, measured as passing the ALS Accreditation and Evaluation (A&E) examination within the period of the intervention, as this is a well-defined and reproducible outcome [ 15 , 16 ]. The examination is conducted at two educational levels: Elementary and Secondary, and attaining a pass at either level was considered a successful outcome of the intervention in this study. If a learner managed to pass both elementary and secondary level exams during the period, this was considered as two successful outcomes.

Data on long-term outcomes such as getting a job or a reduction in experience of violence were also collected by BRC through surveys. However, since the intervention only ended in 2018, the data on long-term outcomes was limited for the purpose of the current study. We therefore did not include these outcomes in the cost-effectiveness analysis, but rather described them statistically. Jobs were categorised as formal and informal pre- and post-intervention. A formal job was defined as being involved in an occupation where the employee received a monthly salary. An informal job was working for a daily wage. Assessment of experience of violence was obtained from participants giving the answer ‘yes’ when asked whether they had experienced an incident of violence in interviews conducted pre- and post-intervention. The recall period for the experience of a violent incident was not included in the data for the pre-intervention stage. For the post-intervention stage, the recall period was same as the intervention period for the individual learner. Learners who did not respond to the surveys (pre and/or post) were categorized as ‘not reported’. The association between educational attainment and gender, age, job outcomes and experiences of violence before and after the ALS intervention was determined by performing a Pearson’s chi square test. To estimate the effect size, Cohen’s d effect size was calculated for the sample size for a statistical power of 80% and type-I error of 5% [ 17 ].

A cost analysis for the intervention was conducted from the service provider perspective. We included the costs borne by BRC during the recruitment process and the implementation and maintenance of the intervention. These costs were taken from the audited financial reports of the organization for the years 2015–18. The costs that were identified as being explicitly attributable to the ALS intervention were directly allocated and labelled as “Direct cost” (Table 1 ). This was followed by identification of the overhead costs from the budget. Those were the costs that were partially attributable to the ALS program, and were allocated based on their monthly time contribution to ALS related activities. These were labelled as “Shared costs” and included the salaries of supporting staff in proportion to the time spent in the ALS intervention compared to their total work time. This cost allocation was ascertained by listing the work responsibilities of the staff members and then shortlisting those activities that were related to ALS. Finally, an estimate of the monthly time spent on ALS-related activities was made by each individual staff member. The administrative cost and the planning and development cost which are also included in “Shared Costs” were identified on the basis of the involvement of staff members in these fields and its relation to the implementation, running and upkeep of ALS.

All costs are presented in 2018 price level [ 18 ]. Finally, the costs were converted to USD using Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) exchange rates [ 19 ]. The costs presented in the results were rounded to the nearest $10.

In the cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) the ALS program was compared to a ‘do nothing approach’ where no educational intervention was implemented. As the design of the intervention is a one-group pre-post evaluation there was no equivalent group for comparison, so a counterfactual scenario was hypothesized based on contextual research. In a pre-intervention state in this setting, a school drop-out is likely to be unemployed, involved in paid or unpaid low-skilled work, or be involved in criminal activities [ 9 ]. We assume that a young person who was not in school and had not enrolled in an ALS program would not increase his or her educational attainment in terms of passing the A&E exam. Apart from the need for educational input, the ALS A&E exam is only available to students enrolled in an ALS Centre, and there are none in Bagong Silang apart from the one run by BRC. We do acknowledge that a similar outcome could be produced if a school drop-out returned to formal schooling, but this comes at a cost and is further discussed below. Therefore, in this study, a post-intervention state can only be achieved by taking an equivalence exam.

Costs and outcomes of the intervention are compared to the do-nothing scenario using an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) that shows the extra cost for one extra positive outcome (pass in A&E exam). We also report the cost of the intervention per learner. To investigate the uncertainties in our results, two ambiguous parameters were identified and one- and multi-way sensitivity analyses were performed. Shared cost was estimated based on the self-reported time spent by the staff working for ALS and in the sensitivity analyses we varied this estimate by ± 50%. Further, the outcomes of attaining a pass in the ALS A&E examination at Elementary and Secondary level were considered equal in this study. In the sensitivity analyses, we only considered a pass at the secondary level as a successful outcome, which reduced the rate of successful outcome from 41 to 34%. IBM SPSS Statistics version 26 were used for all statistical analyses [ 20 ].

Of the total 239 learners enrolled in the intervention over the study period, 157 were children (12–17 years); 65 females and 92 males. Of the 82 adults (18 years old or more), 30 were females and 52 males. While everyone received the educational intervention only 22% of learners were found to need additional psychosocial interventions (Table 2 ).

Educational outcome

The A&E exam was held every year within six months of the end of the yearly intervention cycle. A total of 97 (41%) pass outcomes in the exam was divided between 91 learners (Cohen’s d effect size = 0.26). At the elementary level, where 51 learners enrolled, 17 secured a Pass grade in the A&E exam. 6 learners in this group continued their studies at secondary level and all of them secured a Pass at that level. Of the 189 learners who enrolled directly at secondary level, 74 secured a Pass in the examination.

Information on employment after participating in the intervention was available for 115 learners up to 31 st January 2020. A significant association (p-value = 0.006) in likelihood of having a formal job was noted for those who had passed the A&E exam.

Experience of violence

The learners who reported on their experience of violence before enrolment in the intervention were also followed up until 31 st of January 2020. Pre-intervention experience of violence was found to be an unfavourable factor in attaining a pass in the A&E exam. This association was significant (p-value = 0.02). No significant association was found between the results in the examination and post-intervention violence experience (p-value = 0.34).

Cost analysis

The total cost for the intervention during the period of January 2015 to September 2018 was 371,110 US dollars. The educational sessions of ALS accounted for 25% of the total cost, while the psychosocial intervention accounted for 14% of total cost. The total overhead costs (Shared cost) were almost the same as the Direct cost. The average cost of the intervention per enrolled learner (n = 239) was $1550 (Table 3 ).

Considering a total pass score of 97, and total cost of intervention $371,110, this gives an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $3830/pass in A&E Elementary or A&E Secondary. First one-way sensitivity analysis evaluated for uncertainties related to shared cost, average cost for learners enrolled varied from $1170 at the lowest level to $1940 at the highest level and the ICER varied from $2880 to $4770. In the second one-way sensitivity analysis where only a pass at Secondary level was considered to be a positive outcome the ICER increased to $4640. Finally, for the multi-way analysis the ICER for a pass at secondary level varied from $3490 to $5790 (Table 4 ).

This study investigated the outcomes, the cost, and the cost-effectiveness of the ALS intervention in Bagong Silang. The outcome of the intervention could be measured in terms of the success rate of learners passing the A&E examination at both elementary as well as secondary level. The national average of ALS learners passing the A&E exam was 30% and in this respect, this particular ALS intervention at Bagong Silang was found to be 11 percentage points more effective [ 8 ].

Besides the short-term outcome of the success rate in the A&E examination, another outcome measure of ALS was the job status of 115 learners who were followed up after their completion of ALS. Approximately 60% reported that they were employed in the informal sector and 40% in the formal sector. A significant unadjusted association was found between passing the exam and getting formal jobs, which suggest that a learner who passes the A&E exam is more likely to get a formal job. A 2018 report by the World Bank states that, in the Philippines, an individual who has enrolled at ALS and passed an A&E is twice as likely to get a formal job as someone who has not passed the exam [ 8 ]. Since job status is a long-term outcome, and information is not yet available for 50% of the learners, who finished the course only recently, we have not yet drawn conclusions about the effectiveness of ALS for job outcome in this report. The staff of BRC are at present trying to collect more follow-up data. We will reevaluate the intervention when this follow-up data is available.

The benefits of education for work prospects have been shown in other settings. For example, Kienzl et al. found that finishing high school in the USA is associated with a reduced risk of unemployment compared to non-completers [ 21 ]. However, this relation is time dependent; a person who completes high school with a shorter drop out period (less than four years) is more likely to have a positive economic outcome than a person who takes longer [ 21 ]. Since the age of most learners in the ALS program was 16–19 years of age, suggesting a short drop out period, we expect that the intervention will have a positive effect on future employment rates and further improve the cost-effectiveness of the ALS intervention and thus “the social return of investment”.

An aspect of the success of the ALS intervention that is harder to measure is whether it can reduce the exposure of the participants to experiences of violence. The available data concerning violence before and after the intervention did not show any striking change. However, the data on experience of violence are difficult to evaluate. Experience of violence is likely to have been under-reported among the enrollees [25% of those who had pre-intervention violence experience passed the A&E while 42% those who did not reported such experiences passed A&E (Table 2 )]. UNICEF has reported that 80% of youths aged 13–24 years in the Philippines had experienced some form of violence in their lifetime, whether in the home, school, workplace, community or during dating [ 22 ]. To address the challenge for young people in Manila in terms of exposure to violent, BRC’s ALS intervention has a psychosocial component designed to enhance the physical and mental welling of young people at risk, which we see as a strength of this intervention. The impact of violence goes beyond physical consequences. Toxic stress from experiencing violence can negatively impact the wellbeing and intellectual development of young people [ 23 ].

It is known that high prevalence of violence has a negative impact on the people living in slums like Bagong Silang in terms of perceived and actual safety, school attendance, and businesses opportunities. Therefore, an ALS intervention with an effective psychosocial component is likely to result in more self-esteem, self-mastery, and self-control for the participants, and also diminished behavioral/emotional problems and violence [ 8 ]. In addition to addressing violence prevention, the psychosocial interventions in this program were designed with an intention to address risk factors that were the reasons behind low attendance of learners and prevent them from dropping out.

ALS interventions are an important way of helping young people to become better qualified for coping with adult life. However, such interventions must be financed, and in discussions about finance it is important to have an evaluation of what they might cost. Until now, cost analysis has not been routinely undertaken for evaluation of such interventions. The cost of the ALS intervention discussed here was found to be $1550 per enrolled learner, with an ICER of $3830. The overhead costs accounted for a huge portion of the total cost, which means that a high proportion of money is not spent directly in project but rather in administration. For many donors, the overhead ratio is an important indicator for the efficiency of a non-governmental organization. However, a high overhead does not mean that an intervention is not cost-effective. We believe that the high overhead cost reflects on the need of higher investment for initial organizational development in resource limited settings. The proportion for overhead can be expected to decrease in long run, especially if a higher number of learners can be enrolled.

The ICER for ALS was found to be $3830/passed A&E Exam. As there is no internationally accepted value of improved education, or of social interventions targeting out-of-school youths, it is difficult to establish whether the intervention studied was cost-effective. Comparing our results with those of similar interventions from similar contexts could indicate whether this was an efficient intervention. Unfortunately, all reports of comparable studies found in the literature were performed in high income countries, which poses a challenge for comparison. Kendall et al. conducted an economic evaluation of an alternative learning initiatives for out of school youths in United Kingdom and found that the average cost per learner enrolled was $7860 and the ICER for high school certificates obtained was $12,500 [ 24 ]. Another study undertaking a cost-effectiveness analysis done by Hollands et al. in the USA evaluated four different education programs targeting youths who had already dropped out of school. The average cost for learners enrolled in this study ranged from $15,750 to $20,890 and the ICER for extra high school completer ranged from $83,680 to $228,200 [ 25 ]. Based on the results of the comparative studies, the ALS intervention in Bagong Silang was found to be more cost-effective than the other informal education programs.

Since the published studies are of doubtful relevance to the situation in Manila, a more useful way of determining the worth of the investment is to compare it with the cost of school education in the Philippines. There is no tuition fee for primary and secondary education in government run public schools in Philippines. Budgets for maintenance and operating expenses are prepared at school level, which pose a challenge to calculate cost per student enrolled. Therefore, yearly tuition fee for private schools were referred. At elementary level (1–6 years) and secondary level (7–12 years) combined, the cost ranges from $54,160—$111,500 in 2019, which is around $4510–9220 per student per year [ 26 ]. The average cost of ALS per student per year in Bagong Silang was estimated to be $1550, which is 1/3 to 1/6 of the cost of attending a private school.

This study includes some parameters with uncertainties that may affect the estimated ICER. We performed two “one-way sensitivity analysis” and one “multi-way sensitivity analysis” and although this tended to increase the ICER, it remained in the lower range of prior studies and the cost of attending private schools in the Philippines. Another parameter of uncertainty in our model is the assumption of zero positive outcome in a counterfactual scenario of the ALS intervention, which is based on our best estimate. To check for the robustness of our assumption we investigated how many participants would have to pass the A&E exam in the counterfactual situation for the intervention under study to have the same ICER as the study by Kendall et al. The results show that 67/239 participants (i.e., 28%) would have to manage to pass the A&E exam without the ALS intervention, a number that we consider unrealistic as the national pass rate for ALS learners is 30%. This shows the range of uncertainty under which our conclusions about the cost-effectiveness hold and, we would argue, makes a strong point for the credibility of our conclusion. We therefore consider that the ALS intervention is cost-effective from a service provider’s perspective in achieving a higher level of education, which is a crucial step for youth empowerment, compared to a ‘do nothing approach’. However, this should not be an argument for students for dropping out of formal education and participating in non-formal education instead. As education in a formal setting offer more opportunity of engagement in the learning process, it plays an important role in developing non-cognitive skills in young people. Such skills are crucial for realising desirable life outcomes thus offering a sustainable solution to poverty alleviation [ 10 , 27 ]. Dropping out from schools is very common for at-risk youths living in Bagong Silang. These young people often need to work to earn money, and even though public schools are free, the learners are unlikely to follow the regular curriculum successfully as they may miss many classes or fall asleep in class due to fatigue from jobs. In addition, the public schools in the slums in the Philippines are not always a safe haven for the students and are often burdened by youth gangs. It is hard to keep the good teachers in violence-prone neighborhoods. This touches on the issues of inequality, as poverty itself forces children and young adults to work and thereby forgo formal education, resulting in them being less able to compete in the future labor market. Therefore, we consider ALS a reasonable investment on behalf of at-risk young people living in slums in Manila if they are dismissed/drop out from the public schools, as other educational options are scarce.

We are aware that the self-recruited samples may differ from samples drawn from the general population. A previous study by Jensen et al. [ 5 ], shows that their target population (random sampling from Bagong Silang) has similar social demographics as our sample and therefore, has no influence on the effect size of the intervention as measured in the current study. We therefore do not consider significant differences in baseline. However, one potential factor that can affect our results is the motivation and attitude of the youth who are “self-recruited” for ALS, which might compromise the external validity. Since this ALS is not just an educational program, but a youth empowerment program with an integrated psychosocial framework which aimed to promote self-efficacy, we are unable to control for these effects (motivation etc.) on the results.

Strengths and limitations

A strength of this study was that this youth empowerment program followed the guidelines and curriculum set by the government, which facilitated a comparison with the national data. Another strength of our study is a good sample size which allows estimation of small effects (Cohen’s d effect size = 0.26). A limitation is that we did not have a control group with which we could make a direct comparison. However, we considered that the results could be reliably compared with a ‘do nothing alternative’ for young people who did not attended BRC’s ALS intervention, as none of them would be able to get a pass in the examination, and there would be no cost associated with that outcome. We acknowledge that a similar outcome could be obtained if an out- of- school youth benefits from the intervention in another non-formal program or returns to a formal school. However, based on our contextual research we consider this unlikely. In any case, the results would still indicate the value of ALS interventions although not necessarily indicating the cost-effectiveness of the ALS intervention under study.

In this study, our emphasis for the analysis was on the immediate/short-term outcome of attaining higher level of education. Occupation is another determinant of socioeconomic status, and knowledge and skills are important factors determining job opportunities. Skills for a job can be gained through informal means as well. However, we assume that in the long run, completing secondary education would have better outcomes. Data on experience of violence is collected by a simple yes/no question, which is another limitation of this study. Future studies should use a standardized questionnaire to evaluate the impact of intervention on experiences of violence. Further, robust quasi-experimental study design such as interrupted time series which utilize segmented regression analysis are suggested for evaluating interventions where having a control group is not possible.

The ALS intervention is also expected to have wider societal benefits beyond the learner’s better employment/income status and violence prevention. Taking a societal perspective in the economic evaluation could potentially have unmasked some interesting results and could have guided decision makers within the government for future investments. An important step involved when considering a societal perspective is to include opportunity costs of the participants, i.e., the individual cost for attending ALS (e.g., reduced work income). It is suggested that taking an ingredient approach for cost analysis would have facilitated a study from a broader perspective [ 25 ].

From a service provider’s perspective, the ALS for out of school youths with an ICER of $3830 per passed A&E Exam was found to be cost-effective compared to a ‘do nothing approach’. We hope that there will be long-term benefits that will improve the cost-effectiveness of the intervention, such as better job prospects, poverty reduction and reduction in experience of incidences of violence, as well as a change of safety perception in the community. Further research will be needed to evaluate these broader and long-term social and health benefits of ALS. We conclude that the intervention was a good investment on behalf of underprivileged youths living in the urban slum of Bagong Silang.

Availability of data and materials

The data that support the findings of this study are available from DIGNITY and from Balay Rehabilitation Centre, Manila, Philippines. Restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license for the current study, and are therefore not publicly available. Data are however available from the authors upon reasonable request and with permission of DIGNITY and Balay Rehabilitation Centre.

Abbreviations

Accreditation and Evaluation exam

Alternate Learning System

Balay Rehabilitation Centre

Consumer Price Index

Cost Effectiveness Analysis

Incremental Cost-Effective Ratio

International Standard Classification of Education

Psychosocial Interventions

Purchasing Power Parity

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

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Acknowledgements

We thank Josephine A. Lascano and Ernesto A. Anasarias for providing the necessary logistic support and Henrik Rønsbo for providing administrative and research guidance for this study. Finally, we are thankful to J.M. Jenkins for proofreading and editing the manuscript.

Open access funding provided by Lund University. This research was funded by Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), Denmark. The Health Economics Unit at Lund University receives core funding from a Government Grant for Clinical Research (ALF F2014/354). The funders had no role in the design of the study and collection, analysis, and interpretation of data or in writing the manuscript.

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NM and JJ designed the study. SJW, JR and MMA conceptualised the study. JR collected and compiled the data. NM analysed the data and was the major contributor in writing the manuscript. All authors were involved in interpretation and revision process. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Mehra, N., Wang, SJ.S., Reyes, J. et al. Evaluation of an Alternative Learning System for youths at risk of involvement in urban violence in the Philippines. Cost Eff Resour Alloc 19 , 66 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12962-021-00320-5

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The Problem and ItProblems Encountered by the Learners of Alternative Learning System: Basis to ALS Program Enhancements Background

Alternative Learning System (ALS) played an important role in the society. This program was planned to eradicate the out-of-school-youth Filipinos’. Under the EFA and UNESCO, this program has been successfully implemented in other countries. Dela Rosa (2015) mentioned that in the Philippines, the trend for the past ten years show that for every ten pupils who enroll in grade school, only seven graduates. The same ratio is experienced among the high school students. In fact, there are about 28 million Filipinos who have less than secondary education based in the Labor force Survey 2015 under Philippine Statistics Authority. Hence, this study aimed at determining the problems encountered by the Alternative Learning System learners in Sariaya, Quezon. Problems encountered, in terms of teachers, facilities and material. In teachers, it includes his/ her teaching performance; in facilities, it includes the characteristics of having conducive environment (proper ventilation, proper lighting, structure of the classroom, etc.); and materials, which includes the used of multimedia resources like television, computer, internet, etc. Answers to the following specific sub-problems were sought by the researcher: (1) the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of age, sex, civil status, job/ work, educational attainment, and program enrolled; (2) the problems encountered by alternative learning system by learners in Sariaya, Quezon in terms of teachers, facilities, and materials. Keywords: Alternative Learning System

Related Papers

EDUCATUM (Journal of Social Sceince)

Rashid Ceazar Ormilla

The main purpose of the Alternative Learning System (ALS) is to eradicate illiteracy among out of school children, youths and adults who are school dropouts and to those who are deprived of education in order to complete elementary and secondary education outside the formal school system. Thus, this study was designed to determine the level of implementation of the Alternative Learning System (ALS) in the Schools Division of Isabela. It utilized the descriptive-correlational method involving fourteen (14) districts. The main instrument for data collection is the survey questionnaire while weighted mean, Mann-Whitney U-test and Kruskal-Wallis H-test were carried out to answer the research objectives of the study. Results of the study showed that implementation of ALS program in public schools in the Division of Isabela are commendable. They perceived the implementation of ALS program generally as very good. The data showed that majority of them revealed that relevance of instructional materials use during ALS sessions was outstanding. They affirmed that facilities and equipment were always available, enough, relevant, with quality, accessible and safe in the learning centers. They also perceived that financial resources appropriation, availability, and sufficiency exist in the ALS program implementation. Moreover, majority of the respondents revealed that establishing linkages, participation of stakeholders such as parents and government officials and attitude of ALS implementers were very good. There are significant differences in some areas of the factors in the implementation of Alternative Learning System. On the basis of the results of the study, it is then recommended that ALS Implementers consistently build and maintain positive working relationship with the barangay officials and other stakeholders to win their full cooperation in the implementation of the ALS programs and projects. Furthermore, the learners are advised to be guided accordingly and comply with the regular attendance as scheduled by the assigned ALS implementer in the ALS centers, and other linkages and partners may work hand and hand to extend financial support as needed in the implementation of the ALS program. Nevertheless, there should be a proper monitoring and evaluation tool designed by the Department of Education (DepEd) to identify priorities and needs and ensure proper technical assistance to ALS implementers in the field. For further research, this study can be replicated in the higher level utilizing other parameters.

Psychology and Education: A Multidisciplinary Journal

Psychology and Education

The study was to determine the challenges encountered by alternative learning system learners. The study was conducted last September 2022 at Balindong II District, Lanao del Sur I Division. The study utilized the descriptive-correlational research design to determine and examine the significant relationship between the socio-demographic profile and the challenges that alternative learning system learners encountered. The respondents were the 30 ALS learners in Balindong II District. Among the 30 respondents, most of the Alternative Learning System enrolled were in the adult stage, female, married, with a family income of 5,000.00 and below, 1-2 kilometers away from the community learning center, and Grade 7-8 as to their educational attainment. In terms of the challenges encountered by the respondents, the overall mean acquired by the respondents was 3.10. This can be interpreted as a learner's response to challenges encountered was to the extent of the agreed level. In addition, in terms of correlation, the relationship between the challenges encountered and the socio-demographic profile of the respondents in terms of age, family income, distance from residence to the Community Learning Center, and educational attainment was rejected. Lastly, in the regression analysis, the variable/s best predict the challenges encountered by the respondents" was rejected in terms of family income and distance from the residence to the community learning center. The different pathways must be seen as alternatives that cater to specific learner needs and requirements, because apart from dropouts there are from poor households there are groups not reached by formal school or do not have schools in their communities.

Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences

CJES Journal

The study aimed to determine the Alternative Learning System (ALS) Program's implementation landscape in the Division of Dapitan City, Philippines, through the support mechanism's lens to instruction, teachers' attitude, and best practices. It utilized survey and correlational methods of research using a questionnaire checklist. Results revealed that ALS instruction's high support mechanism was small and positively low but significantly related to the teachers' highly positive attitudes towards work and the teachers' best practices in implementing the program. However, room for more significant improvement is deemed essential to raise the high to very high support since the teachers as implementers of the program possessed high disposition and registered best practices in embracing the program's implementation in the city. Hence, the division's administration should look for the best ways to raise funds and not rely only on the government's budget. The effort may be moderated by the proposed Enhanced Alternative Learning System Development Plan.

International Journal of Scientific Research and Management

Tarhata S . Guiamalon

As a result of the world Declaration of Education for All (EFA) in 1990, the Philippines designed Alternative Learning System (ALS), a program that will provide non-formal education to out-of-school children (OSC), out-of-school youth (OSY), illiterate adults and marginalized Filipinos that will address illiteracy and promote continuing education. This research study used the qualitative research design involving the Cotabato Division in the province of North Cotabato implementing the ALS A&E program. The mobile teachers. District ALS program coordinators, ALS A&E passers, and the division ALS program supervisors were the respondents of this study. The studies were conducted in Cotabato Division particularly Central Elementary Schools. It was concluded that the ALS program was successful in providing basic learning needs to its beneficiaries and most of them pass the A&E test and were able to obtain an elementary or high school diploma and even college degree. The Alternative System Program of the Department of Education has great impact in Social and Economic Development of the North Cotabato Province

Rogelio Jr Nato , Charmaine Baraoed

This report engages in the Alternative Learning Systems (ALS) program which is implemented in a Department of Education (DepEd) – based center within Kaligayahan Elementary School, Novaliches, Quezon City. The group first visited the site and gathered relevant information about and from the learners. Having considered expectations and reservations of the Instructional Manager (IM) and the learners, the group successfully conducted two learning sessions both of which on a Saturday, the day of normal ALS sessions since the learning environment is a formal classroom. The Session Plan comprised three significant needs of the learners either in their desire to go back to formal schooling or in their wish to land on a good job – Essay Writing, Basic and Practical Mathematical Skills, and Job Hunting. The group prepared suitable learning activities to increase learner participation and to elevate the accomplishment of Achievement-Based Objectives (ABOs). The content of every session was also founded on the principles of andragogy and rooted in the four parts of a learning task – inductive work (anchor), input (add), implementation (apply), and integration (away). Upon completion of the learning sessions, the group realized that learning is a two-way process occurring anytime and anywhere, inasmuch as it cannot be enclosed within the four corners of a site. The exposure leads the group to conclude that ALS is a viable alternative to formal education as long as strong support systems are provided to escalate it.

krisia charmine bermejo

Singapore: Institute for Adult Learning

Maria Mercedes "Ched" E . Arzadon , Rogelio Jr Nato

The Philippine educational system has provided various mechanisms so that diplomas provided from kindergarten up to higher education may be granted to particular types of learners who for various reasons are unable to attend or complete the formal schooling track. Such alternative credential-granting mechanisms are institutionalized through various national policies. The commitment of the Philippine government to UNESCO's " Education for All " (EFA) goals, especially in addressing school dropout and literacy rates are among the reasons for such alternative credential-granting schemes. One of such programs is the Alternative Learning System (ALS), described as the "other side" of basic education. The ALS program combines nonformal education and accreditation and equivalency (A&E) test that grants elementary or high school diploma. It specifically targets the learning needs of school leavers, adults and other learners from marginalized groups who are described by the law as " deprived, depressed, and underserved " (DDUs). ALS classes are held in some 4,467 community learning centers all over the Philippines. How is the ALS program designed and actually delivered to meet the needs of their intended learners? What has been the impact of the program and its challenges? The data of this qualitative case study are in the form of narratives from the participant observation notes and reflection papers of 400 teacher education students who enrolled in a course on Alternative Learning at the College of Education, University of the Philippines from 2012 to 2014. In every semester, groups of students would conduct ALS classes in nearby communities and travel to one province to observe ALS classes in the countryside. There were a total of 52 community learning centers that were visited, 41 of which are in Metro Manila. The 11 community learning centers in the countryside were selected purposely based on recommendations and being listed as literacy award recipients. Survey on the ALS program was also administered among 43 ALS educators. The narratives and the survey responses collected were analyzed to generate themes. The teacher education students reports and survey results are complemented by the narratives of one of the authors being a facilitator of an online support group for ALS learners, a consultant of the Department of Education in policymaking and teachers training for ALS. Alternative Learning System provides a second chance schooling to marginalized learners to the end that they are able to find a better job and pursue further education. The program requires highly dedicated and multi-skilled teachers who have to deal with diverse types of learners. Reports show that ALS has not produced significant results that address the needs of out-of-school youth and adults. This paper offers recommendations for a more differentiated approach. Inspite of the poor performance of ALS, it cannot be denied that through the years, NFE programs like the ALS has generated alternatives in making education more flexible, participatory, transformative and responsive to the circumstances of its learners. These are the prerequisites that should be sustained and strengthened to ensure that education will indeed be the " great equalizer " amidst a very demanding and extremely competitive environment brought by globalization. Citation: Arzadon, M. & Nato, R. (2015). The Philippine Alternative Learning System: Expanding the Educational Future of the Deprived, Depressed, and Underserved. the 9th International Conference on Researching Work and Learning (RWL9) on 9 – 12 December 2015. Singapore: Institute for Adult Learning, 2015 http://hdl.voced.edu.au/10707/394970.

renante egcas

This study aimed to establish data on the impact of Alternative Learning System (ALS) to the learner-passers in the Division of Sagay City, Negros Occidental, Philippines, from 2003 to 2015. Mixedmethod research, particularly convergent parallel design was used. The respondents of this study were the 219 ALS passers sampled per year. For the qualitative investigation, 10 participants were chosen from among the classified learner-types. Findings showed that the educational attainment of the ALS learnerpassers improved wherein majority of them finished vocational courses and college degrees. The family monthly income of the respondents also increased along with the improvement in their employment status. Majority of the learner-passers were employed by other persons, business and government establishments. Still a majority of the learner-passers became professionals; there was a dramatic shift from physical labor to office and profession-based jobs. Thus, ALS programs and projects con...

International Journal of Multidisciplinary: Applied Business and Education Research

Jesson Hero

The Alternative Learning System (ALS) has been found to be the new way for those who want to continue in their studies despite the challenges and current situation they are facing. Apparently however, there are studies recorded that there is a gap between the 21st-century skills of these ALS learners. With this concern, it becomes the notion of the researcher to describe and assess the 21st-century skills acquisition of enrolled Alternative Learning System Senior High School (ALS SHS) learners in one stand-alone public senior high school in the City of Meycauayan, Bulacan, for the School Year 2022-2023. The researcher made use of quantitative descriptive survey design to assess the 21st-century skills of 41 ALS SHS learners enrolled. Findings revealed that most of the respondents were female; in the age-range of 20-24 years old; and, have a monthly income of less than Php 5,000.00 a month. Alternative Learning System Senior High School (ALS SHS) learners had a moderate level of 21st...

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