1. The Philippine Nonformal Education Project (PNFEP) envisions to contribute to the country's poverty alleviation program by raising the basic and functional literacy skills of the poor to enhance their capabilities to engage in self- help and community activities.

2. The development of Nonformal Education Accreditation and Equivalency (NFE A & E) System as an alternative means of certification of learning to those Filipinos aged fifteen (15) years and above who are unable to avail of the formal school system or who have dropped out of formal elementary or secondary school is a core component of the PNFE Project.

3. The collaboration of Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) with the different agencies is necessary to be able to attain its ultimate goal of eradicating illiteracy. Recently, the DECS has established linkage with Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) and signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the following commitments.

3.1 That DECS and TESDA will work to ensure articulation of their nonformal education learning systems across all levels of program implementation;

3.2 That as part of this articulation, NFE A & E Secondary Level Certificate Holders will be accepted into TESDA administered post- secondary schools to pursue furthervocationai training opportunities;

3.3. That NFE A & E Elementary and Secondary level program completers will also be accepted in vocational training programs offered in TESDA Regional and Provincial Training Centers;

3.4 That successful NFE A & E Certificate holders who want to avail of the formal and nonformal training programs of TESDA be provided priority access;

3.5 That successful NFE A & E Certificate holders who want to avail of the formal and nonformal training programs of TESDA shall not anymore be required to undertake the entrance or preliminary tests and shall be exempted from the usual TESDA screening procedures for enrollees who have not graduated from the formal school system;

3.6 That DECS and TESDA will collaborate to advocate for improved access to post-basic education and vocational training programs offered by private providers and State Universities/Colleges for NFE A & E Secondary level Certication holders;

3.7 That DECS and TESDA will work jointly to support efforts to institutionalize the Recognition of Prior Learning as a mechanism to improve educational access opportunities for poor and underserved Filipino OSY and Adults;

3.8 That DECS and TESDA will coordinate closely with other education providers to support the development of national equivalency competency standard to provide multiple pathways of learning for Filipinos who are unable to avail of the educational opportunities of the formal educational system; and

3.9 That DECS and TESDA will work jointly to strengthen the development, implementation and expansion of educational equivalency programs as part of the formation of a national alternative learning system incorporating nonformal and post-basic education.

4. With this agreement, thousands of out-of-school youth and adults will benefit from the NFE A & E program and TESDA skills training programs to improve their basic life skills in critical thinking, problem solving and decision making, thus, open other opportunities and life choices to improve the quality of their life and that of their families.

5. Immediate and wide dissemination of the contents of this Order to all concerned is desired.

Adopted: 21 Oct. 1999

(SGD.) ANDREW GONZALEZ, FSC
Secretary