QuestionsQuestions (EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 356)
Executive Order No. 356 renames the Bureau of Nonformal Education to the Bureau of Alternative Learning System (BALS).
It invokes Section 2 of RA 9155 (Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001), which supports the right of all citizens to quality basic education accessible to all, including alternative learning system for out-of-school youth and adult learners.
Section 12.1, Rule XII of RA 9155, which states that ALS is a parallel learning system providing a viable alternative to formal education and encompasses both nonformal and informal sources of knowledge and skills.
To justify the institutional shift from the older Bureau of Nonformal Education focus toward a more organized and flexible approach to reach learners outside the formal school system.
BALS must address the learning needs of marginalized groups, including the deprived, depressed, and underserved.
It requires BALS to coordinate with various agencies for skills development to enhance continuing employability, efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness in the labor market.
BALS must ensure the expansion of access to educational opportunities for citizens with different interests, capabilities, demographic characteristics, and socio-economic origins and status.
It directs BALS to promote certification and accreditation of alternative learning programs, both formal and informal in nature, for basic education.
EO 356 relies on the declared policy and framework in RA 9155 that ALS is a major component of basic education and includes both nonformal and informal learning sources; it also notes the bureau’s mandate to address learning needs of marginalized learners.
The necessary funds shall come from existing funds available in the Department of Education, and thereafter be included in the General Appropriations Act.
It provides that all existing orders, issuances, rules, regulations, or parts thereof inconsistent with EO 356 are repealed or modified accordingly.
It takes effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette.
EO 356 frames ALS as part of basic education consistent with RA 9155; this matters because it places ALS within the governance and policy framework for basic education and affects institutional mandates, funding, and program accreditation.
It signals an institutional focus on ALS as the organizing framework for nonformal and informal learning pathways for out-of-school youth and adult learners, potentially affecting program design, standards, and accreditation.
Inconsistent issuances, rules, and regulations are repealed or modified accordingly, meaning EO 356 supersedes them to the extent of conflict.
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed as President of the Philippines, and Eduardo R. Ermita signed as Executive Secretary.
By citing RA 9155’s definition of ALS as a parallel learning system offering a viable alternative to formal instruction, EO 356 supports the idea that ALS complements rather than fully replaces formal education.
It recognizes that ALS programs may draw from both structured (formal) and community-based or experiential (informal) learning sources and still be eligible for certification and accreditation under BALS.