FACTORS INFLUENCING THE DROPOUT RATE IN ALTERNATIVE LEARNING SYSTEM ACCREDITATION AND EQUIVALENCY PROGRAM
Illiteracy and poverty were the worst adversary the Philippine government has been encountering. For many years, efforts and funds were expended by the government to alleviate the problem that affects mostly the underprivileged citizens of the country. In search for prompt gratification of their needs, children and youth struggle to keep up with schooling and tend to satisfy their immediate concern by dropping out of school. This research study aimed to look into the factors influencing the dropout rate in Alternative Learning System Accreditation and Equivalency Program of the Department of Education (DepEd) in the Philippines. The result of this study was utilized in planning and developing a proposed responsive guidance program for the ALS learners. It was found out that majority of the reasons for dropping out from the program happened due to lack of interest and employment. INTRODUCTION Every Filipino has a right to free basic education, however, many Filipinos do not have a chance to attend and finish formal basic education. There are those who dropout from schools due to various external and internal reasons, while some do not even have schools in their communities. By the declaration in the 1987 constitution The State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all, the government has vowed to eradicate illiteracy and make education reach every citizen. For decades, Philippines has been head to head with its battle with illiteracy and has been putting so much importance in the improvement of basic education as it entails the growth and development of the nation (Rodriguez, 2007) Illiteracy was noted as the biggest obstacle that hampers the economic growth of a country. Southeast Asian and African countries, most especially, have been bombarded with economic crisis brought about by poverty which links to illiteracy. Philippines was tagged as one of the countries to have the highest poverty incidence rates in Southeast Asia. Amongst everyone, the Out of School Children (OSC) Out of School Youth (OSYs) and Outof School Adults (OSAs) were the most affected by poverty due to lack of educational opportunities created, however, by illiteracy itself (Apao et al. 2014) To alleviate the issue, Alternative Learning System (ALS) was established to provide all Filipinos the chance to have access and complete their basic education in a way that fits their distinct situations and needs (DepEd, 2016) Alternative Learning System is a parallel learning system which combined non formal education and informal sources of knowledge and skills (DepEd, 2016) It specifically targets the learning needs of school leavers, adults and other learners from marginalized groups who do not have access to formal education. Through ALS, those who are "deprived, depressed, and underserved" as described by the law will now be offered with education towards Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) Test that may grant either elementary or high school diplomas (Arzadon and Nato, 2015) This test was developed by the Bureau of Non formal Education (BNFE) and is administered yearly. It provides an alternative means of certification of learning for Filipinos and foreigners aged 15 years old and above who are unable to avail or do not have access of the formal school system, or who have dropped out of the formal elementary and secondary schools but are not basically illiterate. Passers of the test will get a chance to be go back to the formal basic education system, higher education or any technical vocational school "Philippine Education for All 2015: Implementation and Challenges Philippines" 2015) The Online Journal of New Horizons in Education October 2016 Volume 6, Issue 4 www.tojned.net Copyright (c) The Online Journal of New Horizons in Education 99 It was established to benefit those who cannot afford formal schooling and follows whatever their available schedule. It reaches out to elementary and secondary school dropouts, youth and adults who, although in school, are over aged for grade 6 and 4th year, unemployed/underemployed OSYs and Adults, Industry based workers, housewives, maids, factory workers, drivers, members of cultural minorities/Indigenous People (IP) Persons with Disabilities (PWDs)/physically challenged and inmates and rebel. Furthermore, ALS seeks to improve the socio economic status of the OSYs and the poor by enhancing their basic educational capability through functional education and literacy, and continuing education programs, which will enable them to become more self reliant, be integrated more effectively into the social and economic enhancement and self growth opportunities; promotion of literacy programs for the attainment of basic skills that include numeracy and functional literacy and which are basic needs for every individual; development of livelihood skills which manifest in the individual specific competencies that prepare, improve, and enhance employability and economic productivity and the expansion of certification and equivalency programs, which are administered by the formal Education subsystem, into the non formal sector. Prior to the program, learners under the ALS will be assessed and profiled to identify their level and appropriate learning interventions. After which, they will be classified as Basic Level, Continuing Education for elementary and secondary levels, or Lifelong Learning learners. Once they're in, they will be working together with the stakeholders and will work on determining the specific course agreements like objectives, curriculum and schedules. Similar to the formal basic education system, the ALS curriculum has five learning areas: communication skills; problem solving and critical thinking; sustainable use of resources and productivity; development of self and a sense of community; and expanding one's world vision where knowledge, respect, peace, solidarity and global awareness are taught. Upon completion of the program, a certificate signed by the DepEd secretary is issued to the graduates as counterpart of the diploma in the formal education system. In the research locale of this study, in batch 2015 of a learning center run by a non stock, non profit foundation in partnership with the DepEd, 67.05% of the total enrolled learners dropped out of the ALS program, This paved way for the researchers to look into the data to uncover the reasons influencing the current trend of attendance and dropout of learners in the ALS A&E program. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Formal education, with its overarching goals to dispense knowledge and inculcate skills to the youth, is not without flaws in its system. This is true for almost every society like the Philippines, which had 4 million children and youth who were out of school in 2013 (PSA, 2015) To address the issue of the rising number of out of school youth, the Department of Education has been promoting the administration of Alternative Learning System for affected and at risk members of communities in different parts of the country. The programs seek to address problems such as illiteracy and high dropout rates, as well as lack of support for the education of indigenous people, Muslim migrants, the physically handicapped, and other disadvantaged children. The presence of such an informal and non formal structure of education abides by the principles on education that were upheld by various philosophers. One of them was Jean Jacques Rousseau, whose works on education had become one of the central ideas for alternative education. According to Rousseau on his own political novel Emile, the growth of the learner should be facilitated with opportunities from a nurturing environment (Doyle and Smith, 2007) Rousseau's ideas on education were controversial during his time, as he emphasized the need for children to develop their natural capacities by a process of semi autonomous discovery. The Alternative Learning System subscribes to this pattern of learning, as it is a more practical option for out ofschool youth and other people who cannot cope with formal instruction. The ALS offers basic education in a way that fits their distinct needs and situations. The educational practices here can be likened to Rousseau's ideas that educational practices should be adjusted to make the people focus on what directly affects them and learn through their senses as they study and explore the natural world (Delaney, n.d. This is widely different from the formal model of education, where a predetermined curriculum is followed by the teacher, who is an authoritarian figure who dispenses knowledge and skills according to the regulations. The students have to comply with the instructional goals and get measured by certain key metrics that will rank them on their performance. The stages of education as envisioned by Rousseau greatly differ with the strict objectives of public formal education. In the setup of alternative education, the learning environment is controlled to encourage practical experience, not with the use of books or formal lessons. There is also more reliance on applying the knowledge The Online Journal of New Horizons in Education October 2016 Volume 6, Issue 4 www.tojned.net Copyright (c) The Online Journal of New Horizons in Education 100 instead of focusing on theories and rote knowledge (Bertram, 2012) Schools following the formal model additionally expect learners to advance in an exacting and linear pattern from preschool to college. This is not the reality for out of school youth who sometimes sought to leave such a system for its pressure on attendance and mobility through the stages. More often than not, the ALS works better for them because the programs in ALS are modular and flexible. Learning can take place anytime and anywhere, depending on the convenience and availability of the learners. John Dewey, an