Voices from Alternative Education: The Lived Experiences of ALS Facilitators and Learners

The Alternative Learning System (ALS) plays a critical role in advancing inclusive and equitable education for individuals unable to complete formal schooling. This study explored the lived experiences of ALS facilitators and learners to uncover the essential meaning embedded in their shared realities. Employing a qualitative phenomenological design, the study involved ten participants, composed of five facilitators and five learners, from public ALS centers in the Schools Division Offices of Muntinlupa, Parañaque, and Las Piñas during School Year 2022–2023. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews guided by a researcher-developed interview protocol, which was validated by qualitative research experts to ensure clarity, relevance, and alignment with the study objectives. The data were analyzed using thematic and existential phenomenological procedures to identify recurring meanings and shared essences across participants’ testimonies. Findings revealed that ALS functions as a human-centered and transformative learning space, sustained by facilitators’ passion, patience, and moral commitment, and learners’ determination, self-directed learning, and resilience. Learning was experienced not as a linear or isolated process, but as one shaped through networks of interaction among facilitators, peers, families, communities, and digital resources. Anchored in Connectivism, the study highlights how learning in ALS emerges through connection, adaptability, and shared responsibility, particularly within flexible, modular, and blended learning environments. Despite persistent challenges such as learner diversity, limited resources, and societal misconceptions about ALS, both facilitators and learners demonstrated strong coping mechanisms rooted in social support and purpose-driven engagement. The study concludes that ALS meaningfully contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 4 by restoring dignity, promoting lifelong learning, and expanding access to education for marginalized populations. Implications emphasize the need for strengthened policy support, professional development, and community collaboration to sustain ALS as a vital pathway for inclusive education.