If you happen to be in Sampaloc Manila, on Maria Clara Street, you will find that big property used to be owned by the family of Fr Roque Ferriols, SJ (a renowned Philosophy professor in Ateneo de Manila University) which now houses a community of Holy Spirit sisters, and our ALS center.
ALS stands for Alternative Learning System, a parallel learning program to formal instruction established by the government to give a chance to those who dropped out from school or failed to access formal education in schools. It is a practical option for them to complete basic education, elementary and highschool, through a process of completing ALS classes and passing acceleration examinations. ALS is given in modes that suit the learners’ situations, one of which is through community-based learning centers. And HSSC runs one such center in the country in partnership with the Arnold Janssen Catholic Mission Foundation Incorporated. The center commenced in 2011 and registered an initial passing rate of 54% in acceleration examinations, and rates have been more positive through the years with 83% as highest in 2015. In 2017, the center still hit beyond the target with 77% passing rate.
To date, there are 25 students who are officially enrolled at DepEd, and attend classes at our Maria Clara ALS Center. The center runs like a regular school, with Sr Brenda Guieb, SSpS at the helm and Ms Rosabella Carido Velmonte as partner teacher. The review is given to two groups - one class runs in the morning for elementary group and another in the afternoon for high school group. Our center is gearing up to opening its special facility for digital literacy, another goal of DepEd to make our ALS students at par with other students in the area of digital technology.
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