Legal basis and policy statement
- Section 2 of Republic Act No. 9155 declares State policy to protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality basic education, accessible to all, including:
- Providing all Filipino children in the elementary level, and
- free education in the high school level, and
- including an alternative learning system for out-of-school youth and adult learners.
- OP Executive Order No. 356 is anchored on Section 12.1, Rule XII of Republic Act No. 9155, which characterizes the Alternative Learning System (ALS) as a parallel learning system that provides a viable alternative to formal education and encompasses both nonformal and informal sources of knowledge and skills.
- OP Executive Order No. 356 directs alignment of the Department of Education’s nonformal education mandate with the ALS as a major component of basic education.
Renaming of the education bureau
- The Bureau of Nonformal Education is renamed to the Bureau of Alternative Learning System (BALS) under Section 1.
- The renamed bureau is established as the implementing office for the ALS within the Department of Education.
Functions of the Bureau of Alternative Learning System
- The Bureau of Alternative Learning System must:
- Address the learning needs of marginalized groups, including the deprived, depressed and underserved citizens (Section 2(a)).
- Coordinate with various agencies for skills development to enhance and ensure continuing employability, efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness in the labor market (Section 2(b)).
- Ensure the expansion of access to educational opportunities for citizens with different interests, capabilities, demographic characteristics, and socio-economic origins and status (Section 2(c)).
- Promote certification and accreditation of alternative learning programs that are both formal and informal in nature for basic education (Section 2(d)).
Funding and appropriation treatment
- Funds necessary to carry out OP Executive Order No. 356 must be taken from the present funds available in the Department of Education under Section 3.
- After use of present funds, the needed funding must thereafter be included in the General Appropriations Act under Section 3.
Repeal, modification, and transitional rule
- Section 4 repeals or modifies all existing orders, issuances, rules and regulations, or parts thereof that are inconsistent with OP Executive Order No. 356.
- The effective operational consequence is that inconsistent prior issuances are repealed or modified accordingly upon effectivity.