Non-Formal Education in the Philippines

Abstract

Non-formal Education in the Philippines is a means used by the Philippine Government, in particular, the Department of Education, to bridge the gap between literacy and illiteracy. Many Filipino youth stop schooling due to different factors. It may be through their own volition or not, but regardless of the reasons they have for dropping out of school, they are they affect the our country in terms of productivity. This paper aims to discuss Non-formal Education in the Philippines, through which education is coursed back to those who have once, or even more than once, let it go. It seeks to probe into non-formal education programs, and evaluate how these programs solve the education problem in Philippine society. It also looks into an institution that carries out these non-formal education programs, how it manages the non-formal system, and how effectively they execute the lessons to the students who have dropped out of school. Learners from St. Louise de Marllac Foundation, Inc. were requested to fill out questionnaires, and some of them were interviewed in order to acquire a first-hand description of the non-formal education experience in LMFI. They were asked about the causes behind their dropping out of school, and how they view the education they are acquiring under the non-formal system. The respondents also discussed financial concerns, such as if they had to stop schooling due to money problems, how they were coping financially in their studies. They were also asked about their academic status, if they were really learning, and if they did appreciate their instructional managers and their co-learners. The teaching staff was also interviewed, since they were the so-called experts in running the non-formal system. They were asked about how they felt about their job, and how they handled the learners. They provided information on how the students behaved, how they supervise the learners and how they conduct their learning sessions. The second chapter discussed the history of education in the Philippines, from the pre- Spanish period up to the post-independence days. The motives of the three colonizers — Spaniards, Americans, and Japanese were mentioned, and the type of school systems they established in the Philippines were probed into. The next two chapters are about non-formal education in the Philippines. It proved that indeed, there was a need for non-formal education in the Philippines. Surveys conducted by various research centers were included, as well as statistical studies, which proved to be useful in emphasizing the inevitability of non-formal education. The fifth chapter is about St. Louise de Marillac Foundation, an institution facilitating non-formal learning to out-of-school youth. It featured the Daughters of Charity, whose ministry is education, and Concordia College, which houses the foundation. It presented the programs and services offered by the foundation, its human resource component, and accomplishment reports. The respondents were highlighted in the sixth chapter, wherein outputs from the questionnaires and interviews are materialized. They shared stories, and explained why there are into such a situation. They made known the reasons they had to drop out of school, how they felt, and why they enrolled in the non-formal education program. The last chapter contains the conclusions and recommendations of the researcher, the findings taken from this study, and how this study may be helpful in addressing the education problem in Philippine society.