Philippines Education Note MAY 2018 | NO.1 Education Policy Note A Second Chance to Develop the Human Capital of Out-of-School Youth and Adults: The Philippines Alternative Learning System1 Introduction Worldwide, approximately 781 million adults are unable to read or write in any language. 3 While adult literacy rates have increased significantly over the past several decades, recent progress largely reflects a more-educated younger generation replacing a less- education older generation. Achievements within age cohorts have been far more modest, as adult learning programs in both developed and developing countries have yielded mixed results. Meanwhile, illiteracy remains an important barrier to poverty alleviation, and lifetime earnings are closely correlated with educational attainment across countries and regions. For many students, completing secondary school is an especially critical educational milestone, as applying to higher-education institutions, technical and vocational training programs, and formal-sector jobs often requires a secondary-education diploma. Individuals who do not complete secondary school often face limited options to both further develop and leverage their human capital. The Philippines has made remarkable progress in improving its public basic education system over the past decade, yet half of Filipino students fail to complete the full cycle of basic education.3 Currently, almost all Filipino children enter primary school at age 6, but only about 80 percent of primary students complete the sixth grade. At the secondary level, only one-third Filipino children start junior high school on time, and one-third of those drop out before reaching the tenth grade. Students who drop out of primary or secondary school are often unable to obtain further formal education or vocational training, and many go on to work in WWW.WORLDBANK.ORG/PH 1 A Second Chance to Develop the Human Capital of Out-of-School Youth and Adults: The Philippines Alternative Learning System unskilled occupations that offer low wages and little job security. This policy note is divided into six sections. Following the introduction, While lowering the dropout rate is a top priority of the Philippine the second section describes the ALS and its target population. Department of Education (DepEd), much can be done to improve The third section examines demand-side challenges and identifies the educational and employment prospects of those who have strategies for supporting ALS participants. The fourth section considers already dropped out. supply-side challenges and outlines priorities for strengthening the implementation of the ALS. The fifth section evaluates the returns For the past five decades, DepEd has operated parallel education generated by the ALS, and the sixth section recommends policies to systems for youth and adults who did not complete basic formal expand its scope and enhance its impact. education. The current incarnation of the ALS includes two core Alternative Learning System components, the Basic Literacy Program and the Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) Programs. The former aims to eradicate illiteracy among out-of-school youth and adults by teaching basic literacy and numeracy. The latter targets people who are Since 1948, DepEd’s Bureau of Non-Formal Education has operated functionally literate but did not complete basic education, and it parallel education programs outside of the standard formal school offers programs at both the primary- and secondary-school levels. system. In 2004, it was renamed the Bureau of Alternative Learning The goal of the A&E Programs is to equip participants with the Systems. When DepEd was restructured in 2016, the Bureau of knowledge and skills necessary to pass the national A&E exam, Alternative Learning Systems was consolidated with elementary which provides an academic credential equivalent to formal and secondary education bureaus. To date, the program has school’s diplomas in the elementary and junior high school been managed by two newly consolidated bureaus—Bureau of education. Obtaining this credential enables ALS participants to Curriculum Development, which is responsible for instructional apply to higher education and training institutions or to jobs that content, and the Bureau of Learning Delivery, which is responsible require a high school education. for managing teachers and operations. The ALS has made substantial progress toward its objectives, As noted above, the ALS offers programs focusing on literacy especially in recent years, yet it faces several persistent challenges. and equivalency assessments. While the secondary-level It attracts only a fraction of the country’s large out-of-school A&E exam is broadly comparable to the General Educational population, and outcomes indicators have plateaued. Moreover, Development (GED) exam offered in the United States and the diverse circumstances of participants and potential participants Canada, the ALS’s A&E programs differ from GED programs in greatly complicates ALS implementation and outreach efforts. several important ways. Enrollees establish their own learning objectives and plans, and the program spans 10 months, with Globally, adult learning or alternative learning programs targeting the overall objective of instilling the minimum competencies out-of-school youth and adults face a common set of challenges. required to complete basic education. In addition to the Basic These include a higher opportunity cost for adult learners, as Literacy Program (BLP) and the A&E Programs, the ALS also well as reduced brain plasticity, which inhibits the acquisition of includes an Informal Education (InFed) component, which is new knowledge and skills, and uncertainty among prospective less structured compared to BLP and the A&E and offers short participants regarding the economic returns to completing training programs focusing on livelihood and entrepreneurship the program. Overcoming these challenges requires adequate skills (Figure 1). The content of InFed programs is based on the programmatic resources combined with sound technical design. interests of enrollees and the available resources.6 In partnership with DepEd, the World Bank conducted a series of ALS programs are delivered by “learning facilitators.” Learning assessments of the ALS designed to shed light on the obstacles facilitators include teachers directly hired by DepEd for the ALS it faces and assist the government in developing a strategy to (district ALS coordinators and mobile teachers), regular school address them (Box 1). This policy note summarizes the empirical teachers, other educational service providers contracted by evidence obtained from these assessments and other program data DepEd (instructional managers), literacy volunteers who receive and presents policy options to increase the effectiveness of the ALS. small allowances from DepEd, and teachers funded by other sources. Learning facilitators implement ALS interventions 2 WWW.WORLDBANK.ORG/PH Box 1: ALS Surveys and Other Data Sources DepEd collects data on ALS enrollees and program operations every year as a part of routine program monitoring. However, the official data were insufficiently comprehensive to support a rigorous analysis. The most important gap was in the available information on potential ALS participants, who are primarily school dropouts. Because they tend to move frequently and have few official records, potential participants are difficult to track and evaluate. To address this gap in the data, the World Bank study team designed and implemented three surveys in collaboration with DepEd: the 2013 ALS Survey, the 2015 National Data Collection Survey, and the 2017 ALS Snapshot Survey. The 2013 ALS Survey was a tracking survey conducted in the Laguna Lake area near Metro Manila. The survey was designed to (i) obtain updated economic information on individuals previously identified as having incomplete basic education in a 2010 literacy-mapping exercise and (ii) collect comprehensive information on ALS facilitators. The survey sample included about 500 randomly selected individuals, including former ALS enrollees, prospective enrollees, and ALS facilitators. The facilitator data was not published due to inadequate sample size, and that element of the survey served primarily as a pilot for the 2015 ALS National Data Collection Survey. The 2015 ALS National Data Collection Survey was a modified version of the 2013 survey scaled up nationwide. The World Bank team received extensive support from DepEd’s network of ALS supervisors and implementers. The survey sample included about 1,300 former and prospective ALS enrollees (67 percent were former enrollees and 33 percent were prospective enrollees) and 5,500 ALS facilitators (73 percent were DepEd staff facilitators and 27 percent were contracted facilitators). Respondents were randomly selected 81 school divisions in 16 regions across the country. The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) was excluded. The 2017 ALS Snapshot Survey was a brief supplemental survey to designed to collect information on (i) ALS operating costs, facilities and supplies, (ii) the employment, education, and training status of current and former ALS enrollees, and (iii) the time commitment and associated opportunity cost of participating in the ALS. The survey was conducted in five regions,5 which were selected to represent a range of geographic areas, including remote rural areas and urban centers. In each location, samples were randomly selected. The survey included roughly 110 facilitators, 18,000 former ALS enrollees, and 210 current enrollees. The findings from the first and second surveys were reported by Yamauchi et al. (2016) in “Alternative and Inclusive Learning in the Philippines.” This policy note builds on that report by analyzing the additional findings produced by the most recent survey. during a 10-month period from January to October, after which they have completed all required leaning modules in their ILAs. the A&E exam is administered. After completing one program Participants who do not complete the cycle can reenroll in the cycle in October, learning facilitators conduct community-mapping program the succeeding year. exercises designed to identify and reach out to potential ALS participants. ALS enrollment begins around January and remains Learners can take the A&E test, and if they pass, are granted a open throughout the year. government certificate that is the equivalent of school diplomas in the formal education system. This will allow them to return to The ALS programs are tailored to the needs of individual formal schooling, pursue further skills training (postsecondary students. New ALS enrollees take an initial placement test, levels) and tertiary education, which is only offered to graduates called the “Functional Literacy Test,” to assess their current of basic education, or they can apply for formal sector jobs that education level. Enrollees then develop Individual Learning often require high school graduation. Through the ALS, learners Agreements (ILAs) in consultation with their learning facilitators. who once dropped out from the human capital development Each ILA lists the competencies that the ALS curriculum path can be granted a second chance to return to the will provide. Participants use ALS self-instructional learning mainstream, where they can strive to improve their productivity modules, and progress is recorded in their ILAs. To successfully or pursue further formal education and training. complete an ALS cycle, participants must demonstrate that PHILIPPINES EDUCATION NOTE 3 A Second Chance to Develop the Human Capital of Out-of-School Youth and Adults: The Philippines Alternative Learning System Figure 1: Major ALS Components ALS Target Population only relatively young enrollees are likely to benefit from it. According to this calculation, the estimated threshold age In principle, the ALS offers a second chance to former for receiving a positive net return is 26. In other words, ALS students who did not complete basic education in the enrollees under 26 will likely garner an increase in future formal school system. Its mandate is consistent with earnings that exceeds the income they did not earn while the right to education enshrined in the 1987 Philippine participating in the program, whereas for enrollees over Constitution. The ALS target population includes both youth age 26 the benefits of additional education may not fully and adults who either did not enroll in formal school or who offset the opportunity cost of participating in the ALS. 10 The dropped out before completing the basic education cycle. 2017 data reveal that the majority of ALS enrollees are also Recent statistics indicate that about 24 million Filipinos over between the ages of 15 and 24, suggesting that the program the age of 15 years did not complete basic education. Of is indeed more appealing to younger people (Figure 2). these, about 6.6 million (or roughly 30 percent) are between the ages of 15 and 30. In addition, about 2.4 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 are not currently attending Figure 2: Age Distribution of ALS Enrollees school and have fallen more than three years behind their standard grade level. These children are defined as a high-risk group. While in principle they could return to school, these children are highly likely to drop out before completing basic education. While there is no explicit cost to enrolling in the ALS, many prospective participants are already employed and face a significant opportunity cost in terms of foregone income. An equation estimating the net economic gain from participating in the ALS, through comparing discounted sums of benefits of completing high schools and the Source: ALS Snapshot Survey 2017; World Bank. forgone income for high school incompleters, suggests that 4 WWW.WORLDBANK.ORG/PH Figure 3: Prospective ALS learners (% of population age 15-29 years old) Source: LFS 2015 (October), Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA). The projected returns to ALS participation are systematically from 34 percent in the ARMM to 14 percent in the National larger among younger enrollees, but they are also influenced Capital Region (NCR) (Figure 3). Within regions, prospective by the likelihood that enrollees will complete the program participants are distributed differently in urban centers and successfully. The threshold age at which participating in the rural areas. It should be noted that these estimates do not ALS tends to generate a positive economic return is sensitive include children in the high-risk group defined above. to the performance of the ALS program itself. If the ALS becomes more effective, the pass rates for the A&E exam While younger members of the target group stand to gain will rise, increasing the likelihood that participation will yield the most economically from enrolling in the ALS, completing a positive economic return. This would lower the threshold the program can also yield important improvements age at which the anticipated returns to ALS participation in quality of life for people of all ages. In addition to justify the opportunity cost. their material rewards, becoming literate and obtaining economic credentials can have powerful psychosocial The share of prospective ALS participants in the total benefits. Completing the ALS can have a profound impact population reflects the school dropout rate, which varies on the personal confidence, dignity, and self-esteem of all by region. The largest share of prospective ALS participants participants, regardless of age. among the total population of 15–29-year-olds ranges PHILIPPINES EDUCATION NOTE 5 A Second Chance to Develop the Human Capital of Out-of-School Youth and Adults: The Philippines Alternative Learning System Box 2: International Literature on Challenges in Adult Education The international literature7 highlights two common challenges faced by adult education programs. The first challenge is biological or related to neuroscience. Adults’ learning process differs from those of children and young adolescents. Adult brains are less malleable and have begun deteriorating, making it more difficult for adults to assimilate new information and learn new skills. However, the research shows that, if proper stimulation is provided, adults can develop skills like literacy and numeracy but at a slower pace compared to children. Thus, more practice is required for adults to achieve automaticity and eventually comprehension to develop literacy 8. The second challenge is socioeconomic, as adults who participate in education programs bear a higher opportunity cost in terms of foregone revenue or deferred domestic responsibilities. For adults, time spent in a classroom is time not spent earning income or managing a household. Also, high uncertainty about the economic returns to education affect adults’ decision making and capacity for learning. The international research 9 analyzing the GED found that there were minimal benefits among the majority of the GED takers, in terms of gaining economic opportunities or using the certificate as a path to pursue higher academic credentials. The research explains that while the GED takers are able to demonstrate scholastic aptitudes in reading, writing, language, and mathematics as equivalent to high school graduates, their opportunities are still limited because they have lower socioemotional skills (or non-cognitive skills) such as persistence, motivation, and reliability. While the context in the United States and Canada, where the GED is implemented, clearly differs from developing countries, policy insights should be eventually relevant. More recent work suggests a set of possible approaches to address these challenges. This include (i) proper sequencing of subjects and learning contents; (ii) greater emphasis on practice and repetition; (iii) a focus on developing high-order thinking (or meta-cognitive) skills; (iv) offering incentives and support to enable adult learners to manage high opportunity costs; (v) proper learning environment to stimulate motivation with a mechanism to provide timely feedback on performance; and (vi) ensuring that teachers understand the ways in which techniques for teaching adults (andragogy) differ from techniques for teaching children (pedagogy). For the ALS to succeed, its implementation must reflect these fundamentals. This study focused on practical challenges related to the ALS programs; thus, further analysis is needed to analyze the strategies for skills acquisition for ALS learners. Trends in the Target Population The average education level of Filipino adults has risen steadily Figure 4: The share of Adults Who Did Not Complete over the past several decades. In the late 1980s, more than half of Basic Education, Recent and Projected the population did not graduate from high school, but that share has since declined to about 35 percent. If current trends continue apace, the share of the population that does not complete high school drop below 20 percent by around 2030 (Figure 4). However, due to population growth, the absolute number of Filipinos who do not complete basic education has remained broadly stable over time. While the ALS target population is projected to decline over the long term, this process will be very slow unless population growth or graduation rates change significantly. In the meantime, expanding ALS coverage remains a priority as DepEd strives to address the needs of the Source: LFS, multiple years, PSA. current target population. 6 WWW.WORLDBANK.ORG/PH Figure 6: Prospective ALS learners (% of population age 15-29 years old) Source: DepEd administrative data, 2014 (number of enrollees) and LFS 2015 PSA (ALS target population). Demand-Side Challenges Enrollment Rates The number of ALS enrollees increased fivefold over the past The A&E pass rate varies significantly by region, which decade, reaching 0.7 million in 2017. However, this is still a suggests serious disparities in the quality of ALS programs. small fraction of the target population: less than 10 percent of In 2014, less than 2 percent of ALS enrollees in the ARMM 15–29-year-olds who have not completed basic education are passed the A&E exam, compared to over half of enrollees in currently enrolled in the ALS. Moreover, the ALS participation the NCR (Figure 8). Regional pass rates are closely correlated rate varies substantially by region (Figure 6). with the share of enrollees who sat for the A&E exams. ALS Outcomes Opportunity Cost for ALS learners While many employers and higher-education institutions The 2017 ALS Snapshot Survey asked current enrollees regard passing the A&E exam as a significant qualification, focusing on the opportunity cost of time spent studying the same is not true of merely completing the ALS. Because in the ALS program as one of the main challenges for adult the completion of the program itself has little impact on education (Box 2). Respondents were randomly selected, and employment opportunities and earnings, the A&E pass rate of samples were taken from both rural and urban areas. ALS participants is a more meaningful outcome indicator. In 2014, 18 percent of ALS enrollees passed the A&E exam (Figure The data confirmed that enrollees face significant 7). While this rate is relatively low, it represents a significant opportunity costs. The respondents reported that improvement from 2005, when just 4 percent of enrollees participating in the ALS reduced the time available for paid passed the exam. The ALS completion rate remained generally work, childcare, and household labor. The data also showed stable between 2004 and 2013, never exceeding 80 percent that 55 percent of current ALS enrollees remained employed or falling below 60 percent until 2014, when it dropped to 59 in paid jobs while participating in the ALS. This share is well percent. The share of ALS enrollees who sat for the A&E exam below the overall employment rate reported in national more than doubled between 2005 and 2014, but remained labor-force surveys (LFS) (Figure 9), and ALS enrollees below 50 percent. reported working fewer hours than the average employed worker (Figure 10). PHILIPPINES EDUCATION NOTE 7 A Second Chance to Develop the Human Capital of Out-of-School Youth and Adults: The Philippines Alternative Learning System Figure 7: ALS Outcome Indicators Figure 8: A&E Exam Pass Rates by Region Source: DepEd administrative data, 2014. Source: Adminitrative data 2014, DepEd. ALS enrollees spend a substantial amount of time attending Despite attending fewer sessions, rural participants spend more sessions. The survey found that 60 percent of enrollees attend time each week attending sessions. This may reflect longer ALS sessions once or twice a week, and 35 percent attend travel times for rural enrollees, as travel time is included in even more regularly. On average, male participants attend the definition used in the survey. 12 Urban enrollees tend to more sessions than female participants, and urban participants spend more time working for pay than rural enrollees, and attend slightly more sessions than rural participants (Figure female participants tend to work more hours for pay than 11). Urban participants also spend more time studying outside of male participants. Overall, many enrollees spend 20 hours ALS sessions, 11 but there is no difference by gender (Figure 12). per week or more attending ALS sessions. 13 Figure 9: Paid Employment, Unpaid Employment and Figure 10: Number of Hours Worked Childcare Responsibilities, ALS Enrollees and the Total Each Week, ALS Enrollees and All Working-Age Population (%) Employed Workers (hours/week) Source: ALS Snapshot Survey 2017; World Bank; and LFS 2015 (October), PSA. 8 WWW.WORLDBANK.ORG/PH Figure 11: Frequency of Attendance (sessions per week) Figure 12: Hours Spent Participating in ALS Sessions, Studying, and Working for Pay (hours per week) Source: ALS Snapshot Survey 2017; World Bank. ALS participation entails both explicit costs and opportunity the most likely group to enroll in the ALS, complete the costs. While there is no tuition fee for the ALS program, enrollees program, and pass the A&E exam (Figure 13). For these often need to pay for transportation, meals, stationery and other students, dropping out of school is not necessarily related to supplies, and other costs of participation. Survey respondents ability or learning commitment, but mostly caused by their reported having difficulty covering these expenses, which parents’ economic ability. Second, if students drop out for compound the opportunity cost of foregone earnings. the reasons related to bad influences from peers, they are also likely to enroll and complete the program but unlikely to Determinants of ALS Enrollment and pass the A&E. This is most likely because they may be easily Performance discouraged by the circumstantial factors in high school. Finally, women who dropped out of school due to early The reasons why individuals dropped out of school marriage or pregnancy were far less likely to enroll in the ALS significantly affect their likelihood of enrolling in the ALS, than those who dropped out for any other reason. Females completing the program, and passing the A&E exam. who have already had children by the time of enrollment are Individuals who dropped out for financial reasons were unlikely to enroll in ALS. Figure 13: Reasons for Leaving School and their Marginal Effect on ALS Enrollment, Completion, and Passing the A&E Exam (percentage points) Source: Yamauchi et al. 2016; ALS National Data Collection 2015; DepEd; and World Bank. Note: The estimation controls for gender, age, age-squared, province dummies. PHILIPPINES EDUCATION NOTE 9 A Second Chance to Develop the Human Capital of Out-of-School Youth and Adults: The Philippines Alternative Learning System Supply-Side Challenges the government finances the ALS by providing resources to individual facilitators. Most ALS funding is spent on educational materials and transportation costs. DepEd does DepEd faces a range of challenges as it strives to implement not provide the ALS with dedicated facilities, equipment, the ALS effectively in diverse communities across the or supplies other than the standard learning modules. Philippines. Adult learning programs must be responsive Facilitators receive two kinds allowances, for “teaching aid” to the different conditions and motivations of prospective and “transportation”. Transportation allowance (including participants, and the practical implementation of the ALS gas for motorcycles) is necessary as commuting to work varies by region and between rural and urban areas. Rural place (learning centers) is non-routine. and cost a lot for ALS programs are especially problematic, as numerous small facilitators to meet learners. Facilitators can raise additional programs spread over a wide area are inherently difficult to funds from other stakeholders, such as local governments, monitor, staff, and supply efficiently. The following section but facilitators often report using their own money to cover analyzes the distribution of operating costs, learning centers, financial gaps. Many facilitators who participated in the educational materials, and facilitators and assesses its survey cited lack of financial resources as a key constraint on impacts on ALS attendance, completion, and pass rates for service delivery. the A&E exam. The 2017 ALS Snapshot Survey included a module, Operating Expenses for ALS Facilitators developed in collaboration with the DepEd Quezon City School Division, designed to assess ALS expenditures. The Formal schools in the Philippines receive funding from the survey module was administered to 118 randomly selected national budget to cover their operating expenses, but facilitators in seven locations across the country, including Figure 14: Facilitator Expenses by Type, 2016 (% of facilitators who reported spending a share of their budget on each item) Source: ALS Snapshot Survey 2017; World Bank. Note: 1. CLC = Community learning Center. 2. Transportation-related expenses are in different colors for comparison) 10 WWW.WORLDBANK.ORG/PH Figure 15: Amount for each expense item per week in 2016 (PHP) Source: ALS Snapshot Survey 2017; World Bank. Note: 1. CLC = Community learning Center. 2. Transportation-related expenses are in different colors for comparison. facilitators in both rural and urban areas. A large majority of activities was the second-largest expense (Figure 15). Other facilitators reported spending funds on basic school supplies significant costs included meals for program participants and and photocopying services to print learning modules and photocopying expenses. Although most facilitators reported other materials (Figure 14). In addition, more than half of purchasing stationary and other basic school supplies, these the facilitators reported using a share of their budget to items are relatively inexpensive and represented only a small provide meals and stationery to participants to encourage share of total costs. their continued attendance. Relatively few facilitators reported purchasing supplemental learning materials. An The data indicate that facilitators typically spent about 1,100 even smaller number of facilitators reported covering Philippine pesos (PHP) per week to deliver ALS sessions, expenses incurred for InFed skills training, such as and more than half of that amount went to cover their own purchasing materials, compensating instructors, transportation costs (Figure 16). This estimate is based on and conducting the government assessment for the total amount facilitators spent on the items that over occupation-specific skills regulated by the Technical 70 percent of them purchased. However, differences in Education and Skills Development Authority. Facility rent transportation costs result in a significant disparity between and utility costs were the least common expenses. spending in urban and rural areas. Rural facilitators reported spending 1.5 time more on transportation than did urban Transportation costs were by far the largest daily expense facilitators. Meanwhile, non-transportation costs did not reported by facilitators. Three of the top four expenses were differ significantly between rural and urban areas. As noted transportation-related. Facilitators reported spending the above, the estimates of total operational spending exclude most on their own transportation to and from the learning items purchased by less than 30 percent of facilitators. center, while transporting participants to educational PHILIPPINES EDUCATION NOTE 11 A Second Chance to Develop the Human Capital of Out-of-School Youth and Adults: The Philippines Alternative Learning System Figure 16: Total Weekly Spending by ALS Facilitators, 2016 (PHP) Source: ALS Snapshot Survey 2017; World Bank. These expenditure estimates significantly exceed the Most facilitator expenditures are devoted to covering amount of funds allocated to ALS facilitators. 14 The financing basic operational costs, leaving few resources to purchase gap averages about PHP 400 per week, including both supplemental learning materials. Beyond the DepEd training transportation and non-transportation spending (Figure 17). modules and essential school supplies, the use of additional On an annual basis, expenditures could exceed funding by textbooks, exercise books, and computers could greatly as much as PHP 16,000 (US$320) per facilitator. Moreover, enhance educational outcomes. However, few facilitators since expenditures differ significantly between facilitators, have the resources to purchase supplementary materials. some may face a substantially larger financing gap. Instead, most ALS funding is spent on essential educational materials and transportation costs. Figure 17: DepEd Funding and Actual Expenditures by ALS Facilitators (PHP) Source: ALS Snapshot Survey 2017; World Bank. 12 WWW.WORLDBANK.ORG/PH ALS Learning Modules Current enrollees also reported shortages of ALS learning modules. Only one in three participants was able to take DepEd provides facilitators with ‘learning modules’ consisting home the modules to study between learning sessions. of short printed self-learning materials based on the content Because adult learners typically require more practice than of their programs.15 These learning modules are divided into younger students, the ability to study outside of ALS sessions five subject areas covered by the ALS curriculum, which is especially critical, and the inadequate supply of learning reflect the minimum requirements of the K-12 formal basic modules significantly reduces the effectiveness of the ALS. education system.16 There are currently 283 ALS learning modules, of which 80 are core modules and the rest are Quality of the Learning Environment used based on the specific needs of individuals. Despite past efforts to consolidate the number of modules, 283 is still far Because the ALS does not use dedicated public facilities, ALS too many modules for an informal educational system. facilitators convene classes in a range of venues. The learning environment for ALS enrollees varies substantially. ALS The limited availability of these learning modules is a programs are held in public schools, community centers, and key bottleneck to ALS implementation. The survey data other public buildings, as well as private homes, churches, show that the supply of learning modules is insufficient sports fields and other outdoor spaces, and other temporary to effectively deliver ALS programs (Table 2). About half of and permanent locations. Of these facilities, only public all surveyed facilitators lacked even one complete set of schools are owned by DepEd. All other venues are provided learning modules in 2016. About 70 percent of facilitators by local governments, community organizations, or private reported sharing modules with other facilitators or using individuals. DepEd classifies ALS learning environments limited programmatic funds to photocopy additional into five types, ranging from the most basic to the most modules. Among ALS components, learning modules for the sophisticated (Table 3). Basic Literacy Program are in especially short supply. Table 2: Reported Availability of ALS Learning Modules by Subprogram, 2016 (% of facilitators) BASIC LITERACY A&E A&E SECONDARY PROGRAM (%) ELEMENTARY (%) (%) In 2016, did you ...have at least one complete set of learning modules? 32 57 62 ...receive new learning modules from DepEd? 14 30 32 ...have enough learning modules? 15 29 30 ...have soft copies of learning modules for photocopying? 68 82 82 ...reproduce learning modules? 56 66 70 ...share learning modules to meet the shortage? 72 78 79 Source: ALS Snapshot Survey 2017; World Bank. PHILIPPINES EDUCATION NOTE 13 A Second Chance to Develop the Human Capital of Out-of-School Youth and Adults: The Philippines Alternative Learning System ALS facilities differ sharply between urban and rural rate (Figure 19). The most well-equipped facilities (Type areas. In rural areas, the most common learning centers 5) were associated with a 19 percentage-point increase are basic structures and temporary locations, while most in the likelihood that participants would complete the urban learning centers are permanent, relatively secure, program. Moreover, an additional PHP 100 per week in and dedicated to learning (Figure 18). Type 1 and Type non-transportation spending was associated with a 2 2 facilities tend to host smaller learning groups and are percentage-point increase in the completion rate.18 The the most likely to be rendered unavailable by extreme results clearly indicate that better learning environment weather or other adverse conditions. In principle, effective and increased funding for educational materials may ALS programs could be held in any facility type, but in have a significant impact on program attendance and practice differences in the venue tend to affect both completion. This is consistent with the international attendance and program quality. literature, which found that noise, distractions, or uncomfortable environment cause deficits in cognitive A simple regression analysis revealed key supply-side performance among adult learners19. While it should be challenges to improving the quality of ALS programming. noted that the analysis in this note did not definitively The analysis controlled for facilitators’ gender, age, years establish a causal relationship, it is reasonable to infer that of ALS experience, and administrative division. The the quality of learning facilities and educational materials outcome variable was the attendance rate per facilitator. influences whether participants are willing to continue The analysis showed that spending on teaching supplies making the sacrifices necessary to complete the program. and the type of facility both affected the attendance Table 3: Classification of ALS Learning Facilities Figure 18: Distribution of ALS Learning Facility by Type Type 1 A simple, temporary meeting place with tables and chairs, or any open multipurpose area or any private property temporarily lent for learning purposes Type 2 A semi-permanent structure made mostly out of light materials (e.g. bipa, softwood) and equipped with basic furniture and learning equipment, which is dedicated to ALS learning sessions and related activities Type 3 A typical barangay17 learning center, permanent and secured, mostly made of cement and other heavy building materials and equipped with basic furniture and learning equipment, which is dedicated to ALS learning sessions and related activities Type 4 A two- or three-story building fully equipped with basic furniture and advanced information and communication technologies for learning (e.g., computers), which is dedicated to ALS learning sessions and related activities Type 5 A permanent building equipped with ALS and other learning materials, utilized by learners and other members of the community and functioned as a resource centers where materials are either transported from house to house or borrowed by individual interested community members Source: ALS Snapshot Survey 2017; World Bank. 14 WWW.WORLDBANK.ORG/PH ALS Implementation Models Regular supervision of learning facilitators is essential to ensure program quality.22 However, the diverse DepEd implements the ALS through two models operating environments in which ALS facilitators operate—which in parallel. “DepEd-delivered” programs are implemented include isolated indigenous communities, remote directly by DepEd through its mobile teachers and ALS mountain regions, and conflict-affected areas—greatly district coordinators. “DepEd-procured” programs are complicate oversight. The ad hoc nature of many ALS implemented through service providers contracted by program exacerbates this challenge, as ALS facilitators are DepEd based on the ALS Unified Contracting Scheme.20 not part of a local administrative hierarchy overseen by a Under the latter model, DepEd hires service providers such school principal or superintendent. ALS supervisors have as public organizations, private and public universities, difficulty monitoring programs in communities that are local government agencies, or community groups to remote or difficult to access or which hold sessions very deliver ALS programs. DepEd guidelines specify minimum early in the morning or late in the evening. A challenging requirements for hiring and training facilitators, time spent oversight environment can increase the risk of moral on ALS sessions, core educational content, and monitoring hazard, and measures to mitigate this risk are essential to and reporting. ensure service quality. In addition to the two DepEd-managed delivery models, Different delivery models require different monitoring local governments and nongovernmental organizations strategies, and DepEd’s current approach is inefficient. partner with DepEd to deliver ALS programs using other Learning facilitators in DepEd-delivered programs, including sources of funds.21 These partner-funded ALS programs district ALS coordinators and mobile teachers, are trained use the same learning materials and follow the same and vetted DepEd employees. Their careers at DepEd are instructional guidelines as DepEd-managed programs, linked to their performance, and they have strong incentives but they are smaller in scale. The available data are not to deliver high-quality work even without frequent sufficient to rigorously analyze partner-managed ALS monitoring. By contrast, facilitators in DepEd-procured programs, and thus this group was excluded in this analysis. programs are external contractors and are not subject to the same institutional incentive structure. However, Yamauchi Figure 19:The Marginal Impact of Supply-Side Factors on ALS Attendance Rates (percentage points) Source: ALS Snapshot Survey 2017; World Bank. PHILIPPINES EDUCATION NOTE 15 A Second Chance to Develop the Human Capital of Out-of-School Youth and Adults: The Philippines Alternative Learning System et al. (2016) found that facilitators in DepEd-procured on average, as DepEd staff, increasing supervision and programs are monitored less often than facilitators in establishing performance-based incentives could further DepEd-delivered programs (Figure 20). The amount of time enhance program quality (Box 3). facilitators spend leading ALS sessions is closely linked to positive outcomes, and effective monitoring can encourage Figure 20: Number of Facilitator Monitoring Visits per facilitators to invest time in the program. Month by Program Model Despite their different facilitator incentive structures and monitoring frequencies, Yamauchi et al. found no clear difference in the outcome indicators of DepEd-delivered and DepEd-procured delivery modes, and DepEd-procured delivery mode has a lower per-enrollee cost. However, it is important to note that service providers may be less willing to work in areas with high structural costs, and relying too heavily on service providers may reduce program access in Source: Yamauchi et al. 2016; ALS National Data Collection 2015; DepEd; remote, marginalized, and conflict-affected communities. and World Bank. While service providers appear to be roughly as effective, Box 3: Performance-Based Incentives and ALS Outcomes Indicators While DepEd has adopted a Results-Based Performance Management System, it operates solely on a group basis and does not reward individual performance. Moreover, the system only covers DepEd-delivered facilitators and does not yet include DepEd- procured facilitators. To shed light on the potential impact on individual performance-based payments, the 2013 ALS Survey (see Box 1) asked facilitators to choose which of the following payment options they would prefer: (i) a one-year contract for a fixed amount of PHP 50,000 or (ii) a one-year contract for a minimum amount of PHP 25,000, plus an additional amount determined by their participants’ A&E pass rate. Under option two, each facilitator’s salary would be PHP 25,000 + PHP 50,000 × the A&E pass rate.23 The survey question assumed an average A&E pass rate of 50 percent, or 0.5 in the payment formula. The results revealed a positive and statistically significant correlation between the performance of facilitators and their preference for performance-based payment. High-performing facilitators consistently preferred performance-based payments linked to participants’ A&E pass rate. The introduction of such an incentive system could improve overall facilitator performance, particularly to the DepEd-procured delivery mode (contracted facilitators). However, performance-based incentives may also tend to reward facilitators who work with groups of participants that would tend to have a higher A&E pass rate regardless of the facilitator’s ability. Establishing a performance-based incentive system that does not reflect local A&E pass rates could create a disincentive for facilitators to work with more challenging groups of participants. A regression analysis presented in the following section identifies the impact of various individual and contextual variables on A&E pass rates. Using this analysis as a basis for assessing local pass rates could help adjust the incentive formula to reflect the average performance of ALS participants in different regions and communities. 16 WWW.WORLDBANK.ORG/PH Returns to ALS found that learning programs in in the non-formal setting generate positive intergenerational impacts, as they are Participation associated not only with improvements in the cognitive and socioemotional skills of participants, but also in their As discussed above, one of the key common challenges children’s educational outcomes and in participants’ level of facing adult learning programs is the high opportunity involvement with their children’s education.25 cost of participating, coupled with uncertain economic returns. In contrast with the large body of research on the Two questions are examined in this section: (a) whether the returns to formal schooling, the literature on economic ALS enrollees are performing toward achieving their goals returns to non-formal education and adult learning in the program and (b) whether they can expect meaningful programs is relatively modest. However, studies have benefits after completing the ALS program. found that these programs generate both economic and noneconomic returns, as education helps to develop life Performance of ALS Enrollees and the skills and fosters social confidence. Research on the GED Program’s Goals program found that majority of the GED takers had in fact limited impacts on economic opportunities due to deficits Between 2014 and 2016, about 60 percent of ALS enrollees in socioemotional skills (also called non-cognitive skills, attended learning sessions regularly, about 50 percent such as behavior or attitude) even though they achieved achieved their individual learning objectives, about 40 the equivalent level of cognitive skills.24 The context of percent sat for the A&E exam, and about 30 percent the GED in the US and Canada differs from that of ALS, passed the exam and earned their high school equivalency but the policy insights obtained from the studies on the credentials. Female participants consistently outperformed GED should be eventually important to the Philippines. their male counterparts, and urban participants passed the Other recent assessments—including studies conducted A&E exam at a higher rate than rural participants (Figure 21 in developing-country contexts though still limited—have and Figure 22). Figure 21: ALS Performance Indicators by Gender Figure 22: ALS Performance Indicators in Rural and Urban Areas Source: ALS Snapshot Survey 2017; World Bank. PHILIPPINES EDUCATION NOTE 17 A Second Chance to Develop the Human Capital of Out-of-School Youth and Adults: The Philippines Alternative Learning System Table 4: Correlation Coefficient between ALS Learning Sessions, Completing the Program, Sitting for the A&E Exam, and Passing the A&E Exam (1) (2) (3) (4) (1) Regularly attended learning interventions 1 0.6018* 0.4858* 0.3915* (2) Completed individual learning plans 0.6018* 1 0.6815* 0.5326* (3) Took the A&E test 0.4858* 0.6815* 1 0.6701* (4) Passed the A&E test 0.3915* 0.5326* 0.6701* 1 Source: ALS Snapshot Survey 2017; World Bank. Note: * Indicates significance at the 95% confidence level Attending learning sessions, completing the ALS program, exam (Figure 24). Self-employment was equally common taking the A&E exam, and passing the A&E exam are all among the two groups, but those who passed the A&E exam closely correlated. Participants who attended learning were twice as likely to report being formally employed as sessions regularly were more likely to complete their full-time wage earners. individual learning plans, sit for the A&E exam, and eventually pass the A&E exam (Table 4). Participants These correlations suggest that participating in the ALS who signed up for the ALS but did not regularly attend successfully helped many former students return to learning sessions were significantly less likely to obtain mainstream education and skills training and meaningfully positive outcomes in the program. These findings suggest enhanced their employment prospects. However, both that increasing attendance rates, particularly among male effects were much stronger for participants who passed participants and in rural areas, could substantially improve the A&E exam, and participants who did not pass the exam the overall effectiveness of the ALS. do not appear to have garnered any substantial economic returns. Increasing the rate at which ALS participants Post-ALS Education, Training, and Employment pass the A&E exam would greatly enhance the economic opportunities generated by the program. Due to the close About 60 percent of ALS participants who passed the A&E correlation between attending learning sessions and exam went on to enroll in tertiary education or vocational passing the A&E exam, supporting regular attendance is training. Only 30 percent of those who did not pass the critical to deepening the positive impact of the ALS. A&E exam pursued any kind of further education, and a negligible fraction attended colleges or vocational training Determinants of ALS Returns institutions (Figure 23). In addition, over 70 percent of ALS participants who passed the A&E exam reported being A simple regression analyses revealed several factors employed or self-employed after completing the program, that influence the performance of ALS participants compared to just half of those who did not pass the A&E both during and after the program, including attending 18 WWW.WORLDBANK.ORG/PH learning sessions, completing the program, and passing average pass rate of urban enrollees exceeded the rate for the A&E exam. The analysis controlled for participants’ prior rural enrollees by 8 percentage points. education level, gender, and age, as well as proxies for the learning environment such as operational expenses Supply-side inputs were also strongly correlated with and the type of learning center. To control for other local learners’ performance, especially in terms of completing contextual factors, the model included dummy variables at individual learning objectives and passing the A&E exam. the school-division level. The full results of the regression Participants tended to perform better when facilitators are presented in the annex (Table 1.2 and Table 1.3). The spent more on operational expenses such as photocopying coefficients in these tables show additional percentage- educational materials or purchasing school supplies. point changes in performance. Enrollees also tended to perform better when learning sessions were held in well-equipped facilities rather than Participants with higher levels of prior education tended to makeshift structures or outdoor spaces. This may be perform well in the ALS. Specifically, participants who had intuitive to many and is consistent with other empirical some amount of high school education were more likely studies. Boosting the supply of educational inputs and to pass the A&E exam than those who had never enrolled enhancing the quality of learning facilities, where needed in high school or did not graduate from elementary school. the most, could motivate participants to attend more The difference in pass rates between participants with sessions, complete the ALS program, and eventually pass some high school education and those with no high school the A&E exam. education was about 6 percentage points. In addition, the Figure 23: Enrollment in Further Education and Figure 24: : Employment Status after the ALS Training after the ALS Source: ALS Snapshot Survey 2017; World Bank. PHILIPPINES EDUCATION NOTE 19 A Second Chance to Develop the Human Capital of Out-of-School Youth and Adults: The Philippines Alternative Learning System Prior education levels and supply-side factors also appeared to play an important role in determining Conclusion and Policy whether ALS participants would continue on to higher Recommendations education or obtain formal employment after the program. Participants who had some high school Despite the inherent challenges in implementing education prior to enrolling in the ALS were more likely effective adult learning programs, the findings to pursue formal post-secondary education or skills revealed that the ALS has potential for enabling training after the program. Prior education levels had no the proportion of enrollees to further develop their impact on the likelihood of employment in the formal human capital, with positive effects on their long-term sector, but high levels of operational spending and better educational outcomes and employment prospects. facilities were associated with an increased probability of However, given the low pass rate, only a small portion formal employment. is seeing benefits. Also, it is hard to see any substantial accomplishments in some places such as ARMM. This In addition to teaching the standard curriculum, many report suggests that addressing key supply- and demand- facilitators reported organizing InFed skills-training side issues could enhance the impact of the ALS. The ALS sessions to incentivize participants. In some cases, is large and complex, and successful reform will require facilitators invited assessors from the Technical Education well-designed and prioritized policies coupled with and Skills Development Authority to offer participants a rigorous monitoring and evaluation. Before proceeding to chance to be officially certified in the mastery of these the conclusions and recommendations, it is important to additional skills. Obtaining these credentials can help ALS note that the analysis presented in this policy note is based enrollees gain employment or pursue more advanced primarily on statistical correlations, and causal relationships training certificates. However, the ability of facilitators to are largely inferred. offer skills training depends on their available resources, including the allowances they receive from DepEd. On the demand side, DepEd should strive to support ALS enrollees in managing the tradeoffs necessary ALS Participation and Income Levels to complete the program. The time that adult learners devote to the ALS comes at a high opportunity cost, Passing the A&E exam was correlated with significant but regular participation in learning sessions is critical to improvements in future earnings and employment success. Measures that ease participants’ opportunity cost prospects, while merely enrolling in the ALS and in terms of foregone wages and deferred household labor completing individual learning plans had no significant could boost attendance and increase the rates at which impact.26 Passing the A&E exam was associated with a PHP participants complete the program and pass the A&E 2,400 per month increase in earnings, or US$640 per year exam. ALS attendance has been included as an eligibility at the current exchange rate. 27 Workers who had passed condition for the “4Ps” conditional cash transfer program, the A&E exam earned more than the average for workers and it is recommendable to partner the Department of who did not complete secondary education. Social Welfare and Development to study its impact on attendance and enrollment in the program. While some enter the labor force immediately, many ALS participants who pass the A&E exam go on to formal DepEd could further encourage enrollment and post-secondary education or vocational training. While attendance in ALS by reducing the uncertainty that their average wages also reflect the returns to additional participating in the ALS will yield positive economic education, most higher-education options are not returns. While the survey shows that completing the available to individuals without a high school diploma or ALS can improve participants’ wages and employment equivalent credential. Passing the A&E exam is therefore prospects, these benefits are contingent on passing the essential to realizing the economic benefits of the ALS. A&E exam. Expanding opportunities to obtain context- 20 WWW.WORLDBANK.ORG/PH Box 4 :The Importance of Socioemotional Skills Development among ALS Participants Recent studies have shown that high school equivalency programs such as the ALS can help bring participants’ cognitive skills into line with those of high school graduates. However, the same may not true for socioemotional skills such as persistence, motivation, and reliability. 28 Emerging international evidence (including the Philippines) suggests that socioemotional skills plays a very important role for employment and earnings, and the importance is increasing particularly for the types of jobs created by the recent global economy. Numbers of employers in the Philippines and elsewhere report difficulty finding workers with an adequate work ethic or appropriate interpersonal and communication skills and provide worker training that is focused on developing socioemotional skills. A recent World Bank report showed that Filipinos with limited formal education tended to score poorly on indicators of socioemotional skills, particularly grit, decision making, agreeableness, and extroversion, as compared to peers who had a high school education or above (Figure 25). 29 The study also found that socioemotional skills are strongly correlated with increased employability among individuals at all education levels. The same study found that one standard deviation in socioemotional skills is associated with a 9 percent increase in average daily earnings (approximately US$2). Particularly large increases are associated with socioemotional skills among women, young workers, and less-educated workers. Figure 25: Distribution of Extroversion Skill by Educational Level Extroversion .5 .4 Percent of population .3 .2 .1 0 -2 -1 0 1 2 Standardized value ES graduates and below HS graduates Some tertiary Source: Acosta et. al 2017. PHILIPPINES EDUCATION NOTE 21 A Second Chance to Develop the Human Capital of Out-of-School Youth and Adults: The Philippines Alternative Learning System specific skills training and certifications during ALS learning of ALS implementation. Identifying cost savings elsewhere sessions could increase the probability that participating in in the budget could enable DepEd to increase both the the ALS will yield higher wages in the future. DepEd should operational resources available to facilitators and the assess the current InFed skills trainings offered by ALS capital budget for upgrading learning facilities, particularly facilitators and explore potential training partnerships with those classified as Type 1 and Type 2. local industries and relevant government agencies such as the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority DepEd should take immediate steps to address the and the Department of Labor and Employment. ALS shortage of learning modules and devise a plan to participants who pass the A&E exam and those who do not sustainably improve the ALS procurement system, both stand to benefit from the additional skills certification and also assess the instructionally appropriateness. provided by InFed trainings. This process should begin with an inventory of core ALS learning modules. Decentralizing the provision of Reviewing how the A&E exam could be better learning modules could enable DepEd to respond more administered and the use of technology could be quickly to requests from facilitators in the field. Besides, it improved could further help reduce the opportunity is recommendable for DepEd to review and, as needed, cost of time and uncertainty faced by ALS participants. update and revise the existing learning modules of ALS in Prospective ALS participants may be intimidated by the the light of reducing the number of modules and ensuring prospect of committing a full 10 months to the program that they are more instructionally appropriate for adult before taking a single exam that will largely determine learners. The persistently low A&E pass rate as an outcome whether that commitment was worthwhile. DepEd should may suggest that that ALS may be failing to prepare the consider options such as piloting a more frequent A&E majority of the learners as it intends. exam schedule or introducing modular credit system. Holding more exams each year, by adding at least another DepEd should analyze the relative cost-effectiveness of round in a year in limited locations, could potentially DepEd-delivered and DepEd-procured ALS programs increase the A&E pass rate at a very low cost to DepEd. and formulate a comprehensive service-delivery Also, it is worth looking into how technology could be framework with a sound incentive mechanism. A better used to improve the reach of the programs given preliminary comparison revealed that DepEd-procured high opportunity cost of time. Radio and e-learning learning facilitators were paid less than DepEd-delivered modules have been used to deliver ALS programs in facilitators, but that DepEd-delivered facilitators had certain locations, but the use is still limited across the more teaching experience. In addition, DepEd-delivered country. Although there are surely infrastructure limitations, facilitators, particularly district ALS coordinators, play an e-delivery of learning materials coupled with using text important role in monitoring and coordinating other messages to give timely feedback and quizzes/games or facilitators. DepEd should update and clarify its operational send reminders could be explored and improved, which standards, including the administrative division of can have benefits for motivating and retaining adult responsibilities, requirements for facilitators, program learners. quality standards, facilitator training arrangements, and data-driven monitoring systems. Given the different On the supply side, DepEd should strive to increase delivery modes, it is also recommendable to experiment the availability of educational materials, boost with an element of performance-based incentive system operational spending, and improve the quality of based upon the pass rate. ALS learning facilities. Facilitators who spend more on educational supplies and who have access to well- Over the mid- or long-term, DepEd should thoroughly equipped facilities tend to have higher attendance, assess, update and monitor the ALS modules to completion, and A&E exam pass rates. The recent increase improve relevance to the labor market and pursuit in the ALS budget is a positive step, but a more holistic of further formal education. Collaborating with other approach will be necessary to enhance the effectiveness government agencies, civil society, and the private sector 22 WWW.WORLDBANK.ORG/PH could enhance the practical applicability of learning modules. An assessment system should be put in place to continuously monitor and evaluate the relevance and effectiveness of the new curriculum and modules. As suggested by international evidence, offering vocational counseling and piloting interventions designed to enhance socioemotional skills among ALS learners could magnify the impact of the ALS on participants’ educational outcomes, employment prospects, and lifetime earnings. 30 Any effort to expand the program must complement to the more critical task of keeping students in school and ensuring their learning and be careful not to create perverse incentives for students currently in school. The most efficient and effective remedies are interventions that are applied when students at high risk of dropping out are still in school. DepEd should assess implementation of the Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) and harmonize the ALS with ADM and regular classrooms. Students who are currently at high risk of dropping out may view the second chance offered by the ALS as a reason to postpone graduating, or they may even regard the ALS as an easier alternative to formal high school. In either case, expanding the ALS could inadvertently increase the dropout rate. However, demand for the ALS will likely diminish over the long run as the quality of the Philippine educational system continues to improve. The government has recently launched an ambitious basic education reform program, and focusing interventions on students at high risk of dropping out should gradually reduce the number of future ALS enrollees. PHILIPPINES EDUCATION NOTE 23 A Second Chance to Develop the Human Capital of Out-of-School Youth and Adults: The Philippines Alternative Learning System References 1 A team led by Takiko Igarashi (Education Specialist, WB, tkoyama@ 13 No correlation was found between participants’ pre-ALS education worldbank.org) and consisting of Pablo Acosta (Senior levels and the amount of time spent in ALS sessions. Economist, WB, pacosta@worldbank.org), Marites Tiongco (De 14 See DepEd Order Series. No. 59, s. 2016. La Salle University), and Vicente Paqueo (Philippine Institute for 15 Each module is designed to facilitate independent study and Development Studies) prepared this report. The team is grateful contains a complete description of the module, its objectives, to the Department of Education for their wholehearted support learning activities, and tests. Digital modules and radio-based and guidance. modules are also available, but are not commonly used 2 See UNESCO, 2015. “Education for All 2000–2015: Achievements nationwide. and Challenges. EFA Global Monitoring Report.” 16 The five subject areas are communication skills (English/Filipino), 3 Basic education in the Philippines comprises one year of scientific literacy and critical thinking, mathematics and problem- kindergarten, six years of elementary school, four years of junior solving, life and career skills, and understanding the self and high school, and two years of senior high school. society. The 2017 K-12 ALS curriculum added digital literacy as a 4 See Knowles, Malcolm S. 1980. “The Modern Practice of Adult sixth subject area. Education, From Pedagogy to Andragogy.” Cambridge Adult 17 A “barangay” is the smallest administrative division in the Education.; Lauglo, Jon. 2001. “Adult Education in Sub-Saharan Philippines, typically denoting a village or neighborhood. Africa.” Africa Region Findings No. 195, World Bank, Washington, 18 More detailed estimation results can be provided as requested. DC.; and Aker, Jenny C. and Melita Sawyer. 2016. “Adult Learning in Sub-Saharan Africa: What Do and Don’t We Know?” Background 19 See Aker and Sawyer, 2016. paper for the World Bank Africa Regional Study on Skills. 20 See DepEd Order No.77, 2012. Forthcoming. 21 These include nongovernmental organizations working in conflict- 5 These regions were the Cordillera Administrative Region, the affected areas of the ARMM. National Capital Region, the Negros Island Region, the Northern 22 See Yamauchi et al., 2016. Mindanao Region, and the Davao Region. In each region, an urban division and a remote rural division were selected; mobile 23 The pass rate is defined as the number of participants who passed teachers and ALS district facilitators were randomly selected the exam divided by the number who sat for it. with each division. Survey sampling and administration were 24 See Heckman, Humphries, and Mader, 2011; and Heckman, supervised by the study team. James J., John Eric Humphries, Paul A. LaFontaine, and Pedro 6 DepEd offers no standard InFed programs, curricula, or support. L. Rodriguez. 2012. “Taking the Easy Way Out: How the GED Facilitators are solely responsible for obtaining the financial Testing Program Induces Students to Drop Out.” Journal of Labor resources, education materials, instructors, and facilities necessary Economics 30 (3): 495–520. for each InFed program. 25 See Banerji et al. 2017, Aker et al. 2012, Ksoll et al. 2014, Sawada et 7 For example, Aker and Sawyer 2016; Knowles 1980; Lauglo 2001. al. 2017, etc. 8 Aker and Sawyer (2017) summarize findings of international studies 26 See Yamauchi et al., 2016. These correlations can be provided as on challenges for adult education both in the neuroscience and requested. economics fields. 27 PHP 45: US$1. 9 See Heckman, Humphries, and Mader 2011. “The GED.” NBER 28 See Heckman, Humphries, and Mader, 2011. (National Bureau of Economic Research) Working Paper 16064. 29 Noncognitive skills are also referred to as “socioemotional skills” or 10 Yamauchi, Futoshi, Takiko Igarashi, Nicholas M Tenazas, and Marites “soft skills.” See Acosta, Pablo, Takiko Igarashi, Rosechin Olfindo, Manlangit Tiongco. 2016. Alternative and Inclusive Learning in the and Jan Rutkowski. 2017. Developing Socioemotional Skills for Philippines. Washington, DC: World Bank Group. the Philippines’ Labor Market. Directions in Development— 11 Both individually and in study groups. Human Development. Washington, DC: World Bank. 12 The survey also includes time spent consulting with learning 30 See Acosta et al., 2017. facilitators outside of regular sessions. 24 WWW.WORLDBANK.ORG/PH