BAGUIO CITY – A Camarines Sur-based mobile Alternative Learning System (ALS) teacher was ajudged as the country’s outstanding ALS teacher during the National ALS Teachers’ Achievement Recognition (NALSTAR) which was held at the Hotel Supreme recently.
The Search for Oustanding ALS Teachers is a joint project of the Department of Education and Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation Inc.
Windel Alvarez, a permament employee of the education department based in Camarines Sur, but is engaged in the teaching of ALS, came out the winner among the 4 finalists after he is also set to receive the Dangal ng Bayan Award conferred to him by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) anytime this month.
“I was surprised to learn about my being adjudged as the most outstanding ALS teacher. I am humbled by the recognition because my only goal in life is to teach those people who want to learn how to be literate. I share the award with my ALS students,” Alvarez told members of the media right after receiving the award.
Alvarez was able to bring home a cash award of P125,000 and another P125,000 earmarked by Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation Inc. to serve as the seed money for their very own ALS center in their place.
On the other hand, the top four finalists were also able to take with them P20,000 cash reward while the 12 other nominees were able to receive P10,000 each.
Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation Inc. is one of the country’s leading proponents of alternative learning, providing out of school youth and those from indigent families with an opportunity to complete high school via alternative schooling.
Further, CLFI was able to surpass its own targets having established 75 partner ALS centers which were able to provide the basic education of over 11,000 learners nationwide, of which, 1,482 learners have already obtained their elementary or high school diplomas.
CLFI reported that its learners’A\LS accreditation and equivalency test passing average also consistently surpassed the national average for the test, netting 57 percent passing rate in 2015 and 51 percent in 2016.
One notable graduate, Katrina Cortes, a Cebuana Lhuillier ALS learner from Cubao Elementary School got a score of 100 percent in the 2015 ALs accreditation and equivalency test.
CLFI Executive Director Jonathan Batangan explained graduates of the foundation’s ALS program learn more other than academic learning, by means of livelihood, spiritual, and social education programs offered free for all to out of school youth and adults.
Education officials commended the 30-year old micro-financial company for its sustained commitment to education, sinks its commitment to bring education closer to the youth, especially coming from the marginalized communities is worthy of emulation by other companies with corporate social responsibility projects.
ClFI took the ideals of the ALS program and made it definitely better by ensuring that the teachers under their ALS schools have all the resources needed to make learning a fund and meaningful exercise to the students.
By HENT
Banner photo: BEST ALS TEACHERS – Windel Alvarez of Camarines Sur, together with the four other finalists, display their trophies during the awarding ceremonies of the Search for National Alternative Learning System Teachers Achievement Recognition (NALSTART) held at the Hotel Supreme recently. Rosalia T. See
congratulation! you both deserved to become BEST ALS TEACHER’sssss……