1.  Pursuant to the 1993 œLoan Agreement  of the ADB Loan No. 1254 - PHI (SF) - Philippines Nonformal Education Project, signed between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Asian Development Bank, the Department of Education, Culture and Sports is announcing the development of the Nonformal Education Accreditation and Equivalency (NFE A&E) System. This Nonformal Education A&E System will be developed under the direction of the Bureau of Nonformal Education, in coordination with the National Educational Testing and Research Center, the Bureau of Elementary Education, the Bureau of Secondary Education and the Literacy Coordinating Council.

2.  The Nonformal Education A&E System was conceived under the umbrella of the Education for All-Philippine Plan of Action (EFA-PPA) and is designed to provide an alternative pathway of accreditation of learning to those Filipinos who are unable to avail of the formal school system, or who have dropped out of formal elementary or secondary education. It will provide a system for assessing levels of literacy and nonformal education learning achievement against National Literacy Standards and offer an alternative means by which out-of-school youths and adults may earn an educational qualification equivalent to that of the formal elementary and secondary school system. Learners who successfully undertake the proposed National Non-Formal Education Accreditation and Equivalency Test (NFE-PEPT) will receive either an equivalency certificate or diploma, depending on their learning level, which will enable them to enter or re-enter the formal school system or the world of work. NFE A&E qualifiers will be entitled to enter public and private schools throughout the Philippines.

3.  The target clientele of the Nonformal Education A&E System include:

-  out-of-school youth (OSY)
-  out-of-school adults aged 25 and above
-  functional illiterates
-  completers of the Functional Education and Literacy Programs (FELP)
-  unemployed OSY and adults
-  elementary and secondary education drop-outs
-  industry-based workers

4.  The Nonformal Education A&E System is one of the key components of the ADB-funded Philippines Non-formal Education Project. The development of the system is currently on going and is scheduled for pilot testing in four sites (2 urban and 2 rural) in February 1999. It is anticipated that the NFE A&S System will be fully implemented nationwide upon successful completion of the pilot test phase, currently targeted for June 1999.

5.  The Nonformal Education A&E System will comprise four key components under the umbrella of an overall A&E Framework. These are:

I.  A&E Curriculum Framework - which comprises a continuum of National Literacy Standards of essential skills, knowledge, attitudes and values desired for nonformal basic education and which are designed to be parallel or comparable to the formal school system.

II. A&E Prototype Learning Materials - which will be based on the A&E Curriculum framework and will be designed to provide learning support for OSY and Adults who wish to continue learning outside of the formal school system, particularly in preparation for certification of learning achievement through successful accomplishment of a National NFE Accreditation and Equivalency test.

III. Accreditation and Equivalency System - which comprises two forms of accreditation:

1. A&E Testing individual learners which will be based on the A & E Curriculum Framework and content of the prototype learning materials and will be designed to facilitate learner ™s movement from one learning level to the next higher level and for certification of learning achievement as parallel and equivalent to the formal education system.

2. Accreditation of institutions/agencies/organizations offering A & E related Nonformal Education programs. This will involve institutional arrangements with partner NFE agencies to facilitate articulation of programs and formulation of National Standards to ensure quality control A & E related NFE programs offered by independent NFE service providers.

IV. A & E Learning Support Delivery System - designed to provide learners a range of alternative pathways in order that they may continue to learn outside of the formal school system. This includes utilization of the prototype learning materials and a range of learner support strategies and structures, (such as learning facilitators, learning group sessions and learning centers) alternative delivery modes (i.e. self-instruction, classroom-based instruction, peer learning, multi-media) and an A & E administrative support system.

6. As per Presidential Executive Order No. 733 of 1977, entitled œLinking Formal and Nonformal Education  the National Educational Testing and Research Center (NETRC) in coordination with the BNFE will be responsible in the administration of tests processing and placement including the issuance of certificate for elementary equivalent and diploma for high school equivalent signed by the Secretary of DECS.

7. The Bureau of Elementary Education (BEE), the Bureau of Secondary Education (BSE) and the Literacy Coordinating Council (LCC) are encouraged to provide inputs and technical assistance in the development of the National Literacy Standards and the Accreditation and Equivalency curriculum framework as well as in setting the guidelines for the accreditation, equivalency and certification system.

8. The Bureau of Nonformal Education will be responsible for overseeing the Development of the National Literacy Standards, the curriculum framework, prototype learning materials and Accreditation and Equivalency Test and for taking the lead in operationalizing the A & E Learning Support Delivery System.

9. Further details regarding the NFE A&E System ™s development will be disseminated to the field prior to the start of the pilot testing phase of the system.

Adopted: 18 May 1998

(SGD.) ERLINDA C. PEFIANCO
Secretary