Lydia shows it’s never too late to learn

Lydia, from Balud, Masbate, dropped out of school when she was very young because she could not afford to continue. Her story is shared by millions of people in the Philippines, but Lydia has been given the chance to make up for lost time.

An early marriage and the pressure on her to contribute to the family’s income prevented her from completing secondary education. But, while bringing up her children and helping the family survive, she held on to her dream of finishing high school.

When the Alternative Learning System (ALS) program, launched by Plan in partnership with the Philippines Department of Education, was introduced in her barangay (village), Lydia was one of the first to enrol.

The road towards fulfilling her dream was far from easy, however. People mocked Lydia, by now 51, and other adult learners for trying to go back to school at their age.

“At first I was embarrassed to be seen going to our learning centre, and I often went there when I thought nobody was looking,” she says.

But sustained by the strong support of her family and her tutor, Lydia completed the ALS program and passed the Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) test in February 2006.

She says that the literacy classes have helped her to become a better barangay healthworker and a more knowledgeable owner of her small dried-fish business.

The ALS initiative aims to raise functional literacy by providing children, youths and adults with an opportunity to complete elementary or secondary education outside the formal school system.

The ALS program doesn’t just help those who want to finish their education, many of whom are achieving grades far above the national average. It also gives tutors the chance to gain experience while they are preparing to take the licensing test for teachers.

Millions of children and youths from poor families are still denied basic education.

“It is for this reason that Plan has been supporting the ALS program as an effort to bridge the education gap and reach out to the most marginalised and the poorest of the poor,” says Maria Rowena Campos, Plan’s country programme advisor for learning.