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News
December 22, 2009
CSO welcomes budget increase for ALS,
vows to monitor implementation
CIVIL Society Network for Education
Reform (E-Net Philippines) welcomes
the increase in the allocation for
the Alternative Learning System (ALS)
which is part of the 161 Billion
budget of the Department of
Education (DepEd) for 2010.
From
previous years, ALS was only
allocated Php 240 Million annually,
the budget was increased to Php 500
Million, based on reports after the
Senate approved the 1.54 Trillion
National Budget for 2010 which was
subsequently approved by the
Bicameral Conference Committee of
Congress last December 17.
According
to E-Net, the budget still
prioritizes school-based
interventions and lack affirmative
action to reach out to indigenous
learners who have no means to go to
city centers to study.
“Our call to
increase funds for indigenous
learning communities is a proposal
to provide access to quality
education in remote areas not served
by schools", asserts Cecilia Soriano,
E-Net National Coordinator.
E-Net along with the Alternative
Budget Initiative (ABI) pushed
Congress to allocate at least Php
1.0 Billion for ALS, aimed at
expanding the coverage of ALS to
more indigenous peoples’ communities
and the provision of additional CLCs
across the country.
While E-Net
welcomes this development, they
cautioned that renewed armed
conflicts in Mindanao will surely
contribute in another round of
increase in the number of OSY in the
country. The November 23, massacre
of 57 people in Shariff Aguak is a
very glaring example of this
senseless violence that often take
its toll on education where, pupils
and students constitute the majority
of IDPs in Southern Philippines.
Said increase in the number of OSY
would render any increase in the
budget insignificant since the
additional funds should be allocated
to address the corresponding
increase in the number of OSY.
Despite the lifting of Martial Law,
one week after it has been declared
in the province of Maguindanao, the
culture of fear among residents
barely abated, that is why many
pupils in schools are still afraid
of going back to school.
Likewise, E-Net expressed a bit of
relief that the possibility of a
re-enacted budget is now nil, while
a re-enacted one would be prone to
abused by the incumbent
administration since the 2010 budget
is essentially a budget for an
election year.
Soriano, expressed
concern about the absence of a
programmatic approach in ensuring
education for OSY and Internally
Displaced Persons (IDPs) alike,
since the Deped puts too much
emphasis on the formal system.
Soriano said “ We ask now, what the
Department of Education intends to
do about the additional budget of
250 Million for the Alternative
Learning System (ALS)?
.
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