Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation, Inc. (CLFI) has partnered with the Department of Education (DepEd) for the first-ever National Alternative Learning System Teachers’ Achievement Recognition (NALSTAR) which honors and recognizes exemplary alternative learning system (ALS) teachers.
“The success of the ALS program can be attributed to the hard work and dedication of its educators, who give more than 100% of their efforts in moulding and educating our fellowmen, especially those belonging to the underprivileged sector. NALSTAR is our means to recognize their selfless commitment to teaching,” said Jean Henri Lhuillier, PJLI president and CEO, as he expressed his support and appreciation for ALS teachers.
The top NALSTAR educator will be selected from among 17 finalists coming from DepEd regional offices nationwide. The winner will take home P125,000 cash, and another P125,000 will be earmarked as seed money for their own ALS school. The top four finalists will take home P20,000 each while the remaining nominees will receive P10,000 each.
“CLFI’s commitment to bring education closer to the youth—especially coming from the marginalized communities—has always been laudable. They took the ideals of the ALS program and made it infinitely better by ensuring that the teachers under their ALS schools have all the resources needed to make learning a fun and meaningful exercise to the students,” said Tonisito Umali, DepEd Undersecretary for Legislative Affairs, External Partnerships and School Sports.
CLFI is one of the country’s leading proponents of alternative learning, providing out-of-school youths and those from indigent families with an opportunity to complete high school education via alternative schooling.
In 2018, CLFI has already surpassed its own targets: establishing 75 partner schools which educated more than 11,000 learners, of which, 1,482 learners have already obtained their elementary and/or high school diplomas. Its learners’ ALS Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) test passing average also consistently surpassed the national average for the A&E Test—netting 57% passing rate in 2015 and 71% in 2016.
One notable graduate, Carina Cortes, a Cebuana Lhuillier ALS learner from Cubao Elementary School, got a 100% score in the 2015 ALS A&E Test. Graduates of Cebuana Lhuillier’s ALS Program get holistic learning, more than the traditional academic modules — by means of livelihood, spiritual, and social education programs offered free for all out-of-school youth and adults.
For more information, email CLFI program manager Kristina “Pebbles” Muniz at [email protected] or call 0917-5233753 or 0906-3090059.