Tanauan, Leyte --
Three members of the youth sector in the Tanauan
I District are among the successful examinees
in the February Accreditation and Equivalency
Test, Alternative Learning System Leyte Division
Supervisor Delia Catilogo informed.
One of the passers is Arlene Gacos from Barangay
Tugop of Tanauan town, who at 13 is still in
Grade IV but because she passed the A&E
Exams she was accelerated to First Year High
School.
Another passer is Mariflor A. Avila, 23 years
old, from Barangay Cabuynan, Tanauan who is
in Third Year High School but was accelerated
to First Year College.
The third successful examinee is Jake S. Verona,
19 years old from Barangay Bislig, who was accelerated
from Grade 4 to First Year High School.
Ms. Caroline Morantte, ALS Coordinator for Tanauan
I District said that the success of the three
examinees will serve as an encouragement to
other youth who are in the same predicament.
To give a chance to out-of-school youth to return
back to the formal education, the A & E
examinations is given annually, ALS Division
Supervisor Catilogo said.
The A&E Examinations which is being administered
by the Department of Education through its Bureau
of Alternative Learning System, targets the
out of school learners who want to either pursue
college or work without a college diploma.
The A&E Exams aims to assess the examinee's
basic life skills such as literacy, numeracy,
and problem solving.
Those who pass the exams will be given an A&E
diploma which is equivalent to elementary or
high school diploma, she added.
The holding of the A& E Examinations on
June 12 is in response to the call of President
Arroyo for all government agencies to commemorated
the celebration of Philippine Independence Day
on June 12 by conducting services to the people.
The Bureau of Alternative Learning System is
an integral part of DepEd's commitment to Education
for All or EFA, UNESCO's goal to universalize
primary education by 2015.
DepEd-BALS seeks to integrate out-of-school
youth and adults who were not able to avail
themselves of formal schooling.
The registration of applicants for next year's
test will start on September this year. Applicants
are required to submit latest ID 2 copies 1
x 1, Xerox copy of any of the following: birth
certificate, baptismal certificate, marriage
certificate or driver's license.
Registrants who are 11–20 years old are
asked to submit their latest report card (Form
138) to ensure that they not currently enrolled
in the formal elementary or secondary school.
Qualified to register are
the following: elementary level dropouts (at least
one year at the time of registration) 11 years
old and above may take the elementary ALS A &
E test, high school dropouts (at least one year
at the time of registration) 15 years old and
above may take the ALS A & E test, non-passers
of the previous ALS A & E test, and learners/completers
of the DepEd Program (Basic Literacy Program,
ALS A & E Program and BP-OSA Program). (PIA
8)
