EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Introduction

This report presents the results of an evaluation undertaken by the International Technology Management
Corporation (Intem) for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on two alternative delivery modes (ADMs)
of primary education in the Philippines, namely: (i) the Modified In-School, Off-School Approach (MISOSA); and
(ii) the Enhanced Instructional Management by Parents, Community and Teachers (e-IMPACT).

The main purpose of the evaluation was to analyse (i) key processes, in terms of effectiveness and efficiency in
the ADMs’ implementation, and (ii) project outcomes, in terms of achieving Child-Friendly School System (CFSS)
goals and improving learning outcomes with the end view of providing basis for refinement, scaling up and
sustaining innovations. The results of the evaluation will be useful towards refining the implementation design
of the next country programme for children (CPC) between the Government of the Philippines and UNICEF, as
well as help enrich the Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda (BESRA) of the Department of Education (DepEd).

The evaluation also sought to assess UNICEF’s contributions towards the attainment of project-level results
by scrutinizing the innovations through the evaluation lenses of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and
sustainability. How these were able to influence policy change, build stakeholders’ capacity, and provide materials
and supervision support was analysed. The evaluation also revisited key processes undertaken to initiate and
implement the innovations in order to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to sustaining
such innovations, particularly at the school level, so that these may be replicated at the local and national levels
within the context of BESRA.

Evaluation methods

Mixed research methodologies and data-gathering techniques were used to determine the changes—per variable
or group of indicators (relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability)—during and after program
implementation in selected schools. The evaluation extensively used key informant interviews, individual
surveys, focus group discussions, documents, literature and records review, and ocular observations to gather
data and information relative to ADMs. To be able to draw strong conclusions on the strengths of ADMs, the
evaluation utilized randomly selected samples from two groups, namely treatment schools and control schools.
Research tools and protocols were established to guide the research team. The evaluation used cross-validation
(triangulation) to establish gathered data and information. Trends, patterns and regularities were established
during data and information analyses in order to develop hypotheses, theories and conclusions.

The following tools for analysis were used: (i) CFSS tools formulated according to terms of reference (TOR) to
derive relevant data and highlight the importance of CFSS in the evaluation; (ii) Rubrics for Assessment of CFSS
of High Schools (Rubrics) adopted from UNICEF; (ii) CFSS checklist for elementary schools, and (iv) Development
Assessment Profile (DAP) from EQuALLS/USAID. To augment quantitative analysis, the evaluation also used
a multiple case study method for generating data and detailed information and analyses on the experiences of
implementers, beneficiaries and other stakeholders at the ground, school and community levels focusing on how
the interventions were implemented and why stakeholders see these interventions as either successes or failures.

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Profile of UNICEF support to ADMs

Under the Sixth Country Programme for Children (CPC 6), UNICEF strongly supported the adoption of ADMs in
the delivery of basic education to enhance the CFSS initiative of the earlier country programme, CPC 5. ADMs
are innovations believed to make the school system more inclusive and flexible, especially for children who are at
risk, hard to reach, living in highly congested learning environments, or having difficulty coping with the regular
school calendar. MISOSA and e-IMPACT were the alternative delivery modes supported by UNICEF.

MISOSA was developed and piloted by DepEd in 14 primary schools during the school year (SY) 2005-2006.
UNICEF supported in 2006 the implementation of this approach by funding the orientation and training of teachers
on the system and the reproduction of learning modules for distribution to 44 selected schools in CPC 6 areas.
Cost of reproduction was Php 6,710,200 (USD129, 042). In 2008, some modules were reprinted to fill the
need of 14 of 44 schools. Reprinting cost totalled PhP 809,655.60. UNICEF also supported several training
orientations, evaluation of ADM materials, field monitoring, and revision of MISOSA modules to align them with
the Revised Basic Education Curriculum (RBEC).

Also in 2006, UNICEF supported two batches of orientation training on e-IMPACT conducted by SEAMEO
INNOTECH for DepEd. These were held for selected staff of schools in CPC 6 areas that signified interest in
adopting MISOSA.

In 2007, another round of training on e-IMPACT was conducted. This cost around Php 3.6 million. Seventeen
(17) schools were each provided 10 copies of e-IMPACT teaching modules and a complete set of peer learning
modules for every two pupils in Grades 3 to 6. Blackboards were also provided at a ratio of 1 per 10 pupils per
grade. Also supplied were a library for the modules in the testing room, teaching aids and other equipment. Total
investment amounted to Php 2,926,200 (USD 56,271), which was 40 per cent of the total requirement of Php
7.6 million.

It is difficult to delineate specific investments for MISOSA and e-IMPACT since these were part of the general
funding support to CFSS and inclusive education but it is worth noting that of UNICEF Philippines’ total programme
expenditures from 1999 to 2009, education projects accounted for 17 per cent, second only to health and
nutrition projects with 30 per cent.

Context of ADMs in the Philippines

Poverty is directly linked to the current state of Philippine education. Results of the 2008 Functional Literacy,
Education, and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) reveal 12.3 million Filipinos (or 32 per cent of the 39 million
school-aged population) are not attending school. Of this number, 24 per cent cite the prohibitive cost of
education as reason for not attending school, 22 per cent say they are either working or looking for work, while
20 per cent simply lack interest in going to school. Data from the Philippine Labor Force Survey (PLFS) indicate
that boys comprise more than half of the total number of working children. Their share ranged from a high of 65
per cent in 2004 to 63 per cent in 2009. Generally, 6 out of 10 working children did not attend school.

In April 2010, there were 2.4 million working children in the country (PLFS, 2010). These children lived in
either vulnerable households, fragile communities, or conflict or post-conflict areas. Some were either orphans,
affected by HIV/AIDS, or had disabilities.

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The increasing percentage of dropouts pose a big challenge to achieving universal basic education. Education
for All (EFA) Plan 2015 projects that about 312 will leave school before finishing Grade 6, many during their
first grade in school. In poor provinces and conflict areas, 10 per cent of all enrolees are less likely to finish
elementary school (ADB, 2009). In SY 2009-2010, in government elementary schools alone, around 124,528
dropped out before reaching Grade 5; 64 per cent of them were boys. Although the dropout rate has abated
over the past years, it is not declining fast enough to realize the 2015 target on universal primary education. In
SY 2009-2010, completion rate stood at 64 per cent.

Nationwide, the mean percentage scores (MPS) of both Grade 6 elementary students and second year high
school students in the National Achievement Test (NAT) in SY 2009-2010 were below the passing MPS of 75
per cent (DepEd BEIS, 2010-2011). The NAT results showed an MPS of 68.01 per cent at the elementary level
and 45.56 per cent at the secondary level.

Over time, the continuing unresolved issues of accessibility, availability, and quality in regard to education have
resulted in millions of adults lacking literacy skills. The 2010 EFA Global Monitoring Report states that between
2000 and 2007, the country witnessed a large increase in illiterate adults of over 1.4 million. Population growth,
estimated at 2.04 per cent annually, has contributed partly to this increase. Deficient in quality education and
lacking in productive skills, the country’s young people face a less secure future against a highly competitive
global economy (PESA, INTEM for USAID, 2011).

According to the 2010 EFA Global Monitoring Report Reaching the Marginalized, the global economic downturn
has created in many of the world's poorest countries a lost generation of children whose life chances have been
irreparably damaged by a failure of their countries to uphold their right to education. The report examined the
state of these children who were left behind and looked at concrete solutions to ensure that no children are
excluded from school.

Recognizing the challenges, successive DepEd administrators have progressively refined a set of reform strategies
to make the system more responsive to local needs and committed to improved learning outcomes. There has
been continual consensus on the nature of reforms needed to empower communities and stakeholders and move
them to action. The reform strategies are articulated in the EFA 2015 Action Plan and translated into policy
actions under the BESRA. One such policy action is the enhancement of Alternative Delivery Modes on basic
education which entails the mainstreaming of innovative interventions validated with reference to international
literature and local efforts anchored on the School Based Management Framework. It reflects DepEd’s belief that
if such ADM innovations are mainstreamed or institutionalized in educational planning and as an intervention in
the 66,000 overcrowded public schools in the country (as of June 2012 account of Office of the President), not
only the perennial issues of lack of classrooms, teacher items and textbooks will be addressed but also the long-
standing concern of providing all school-aged children with access to quality and complete elementary education.

UNICEF’s response to Philippine education challenges

The Millennium Development Goal for Education is to provide universal primary education for all children by
2015. Towards achieving this MDG, the Government of the Philippines has committed itself to increasing the
participation rate and improving achievement levels among primary and secondary students. To realize these, it
is banking on its own initiatives and on collaboration efforts with development partners, among them UNICEF.
To help the Philippine Government deliver on its educational mandates, UNICEF along with local partners and

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through its Country Programme for Children, has embarked on the implementation of the Child Friendly School
System (CFSS) and Alternative Delivery Modes (ADM) of basic education.

As an alternative delivery mode, MISOSA was developed by the Bureau of Elementary Education (BEE) and piloted
in 14 schools in 2005. MISOSA aims to: (i) solve congestion in schools with big enrolment; (ii) address the need
of children for adequate learning materials; (iii) mobilize and strengthen community support; and (iv) improve
students’ performance. MISOSA is implemented in large classes (with more than 50 students) in Grades 4, 5
and 6 to address the perennial problem of congestion resulting from lack of classrooms, shortage of teachers,
overpopulation, and other factors. Congested classes are subdivided into an In-School Group with classroom and
subject teachers, and an Off-School Group with a para- or volunteer teacher.

e-IMPACT, on the other hand, is a technology-enhanced alternative delivery mode developed by the SEAMEO
Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology (INNOTECH) to address issues in accessibility and
quality of education in schools usually handled by a few teachers teaching multigrade classes. Developed and
first piloted in 1974 in five rural elementary schools in Naga, Cebu, the innovation was later expanded and
piloted in an urban setting in Lapu-lapu City and in Sapang Palay, San Juan del Monte in Bulacan. After several
consultations with the then Ministry of Education, six other regions opted to also pilot the learning system
following a set of criteria for selection of schools. In 2005, DepEd, in collaboration with SEAMEO INNOTECH,
UNICEF and USAID/EQuALLS, further expanded the coverage of e-IMPACT in several schools within the coverage
of UNICEF CPC 6 and USAID/EQuALLS. The learning system follows a set of principles to guide implementation.
Foremost is the recognition that children are active participants in the learning process, a principle upheld through
the use of learning modules based on the RBEC. The modules serve as an intermediary for self and group learning
inside a school campus and at home. Multiple entry and exit is encouraged; pupils are allowed to enter schooling
at their most opportune time and leave when it is most convenient. In practice, however, this runs counter to
a DepEd policy prescribing an enrolment period and another policy requiring students to attend at least 80 per
cent of the total number of school days. Progress of learners is tracked by their individual speed while leveling
is dictated by their mastery of modules rather than their completion of a school year. Through this, learners are
not forced beyond their personal capacities.

ADM performance: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability

MISOSA and e-IMPACT were evaluated as viewed from four different perspectives: relevance, effectiveness,
efficiency, and sustainability of outputs.

Relevance: MISOSA and e-IMPACT were deemed relevant to the needs and priorities of the Philippines being
aligned with UNICEF’s Child Friendly Movement and priorities of other development agencies during CPC 6 and
its extension period. Both modes are likewise significant to the implementation of DepEd’s K to 12 Program
helping ensure that children under difficult situations have equitable access to complete and quality elementary
education.

Effectiveness: Schools implementing ADMs made positive contributions to improving school performance as
regards dropout, promotion, repetition, and national achievement rates. Children in ADM schools scored higher
on DAP than those in non-intervention groups.

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Efficiency: Implementing ADMs is much less costly than the conventional delivery system. ADMs also yield
higher benefit scores in terms of education outcomes as compared to the regular system among the respective
control schools. However, evaluation shows that delays in delivery and insufficiency of material inputs to
schools reduced the ADMs’ efficiency and effectiveness. Furthermore, the absence of a systematic approach
to accounting/stewardship of programme inputs, such as capacity building and learning resources, reduced the
potential cost-effectiveness of ADMs.

Sustainability: The ‘off-school’ approach of MISOSA was not sustainably implemented as planned because
maintaining para- or volunteer teachers proved difficult for the schools and stakeholders. On the other hand, the
‘in-school’ approach using self-instructional materials (SIMs)/modules was sustainably implemented. Use of SIMs
has been replicated in other schools (both performing and non-performing), maximizing available resources of
the Division Office due to high confidence in SIMMs’ effectiveness to improve education outcomes. However,
complete provision of SIMs for all Grades 4, 5 and 6 levels were not realized during the pilot implementation.
Nonetheless, the effective use of SIMs forged strong partnerships among stakeholders, particularly among
parents, which ensured their participation and continuing support.

e-IMPACT was sustainably implemented by the schools as planned. Sharing of resources among development
partners proved to be an effective strategy and avoided duplication of activities and unnecessary allocation of
resources. Partnerships forged at the school level were the most crucial in ensuring the sustained benefits of
e-IMPACT. The initial high cost of implementing e-IMPACT, however, constrained the wider replication of this
mode at the local and national levels.

Conclusions, recommendations, lessons learned

The piloting of ADMs as supported by UNICEF made notable contributions to improving educational outcomes,
especially in terms of raising the mastery level and achievement test scores of children. Improvements in this
area were robust. However, in terms of reducing dropout and repetition rates, the improvements were not
as significant. Nonetheless, the ADMs enriched the efforts of BESRA in introducing innovations meant to
make the teaching-learning environment more varied and stimulating, provide opportunities for children’s active
participation, and enhance the engagement of parents and communities in education initiatives. The innovative
strategies indeed proved significant in the context of current Philippine education, UN priority directions, and
priorities of other development and donor agencies working for the country.

The following are this evaluation’s recommendations:

MISOSA

1. For continued and expanded implementation of MISOSA, DepEd should consider developing sustainable
approaches. The ‘off-school’ approach was not feasible and was in fact never implemented in the real
sense of a venue outside school premises.

2. Use of SIMMs can be considered an alternative delivery by itself even in the absence of an ‘off-school’
scheme. DepEd can focus on enhancing module-based service delivery to strengthen the principle of
multiple entry and exit in the education system.

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 3. MISOSA should be introduced to the entire school’s Grades 4 to 6 levels infusing adequate resource
inputs rather than implementing it on a piecemeal and fragmented manner for the purpose of covering
more schools however inadequately equipped. UNICEF can consider supporting DepEd’s strategy in the
distribution of educational inputs to balance quantity/breadth and quality/depth of support.

e-IMPACT

4. Cost reduction measures for the implementation of e-IMPACT should be considered without sacrificing
its quality and effectiveness. These measures can be undertaken during the preparatory stages of
capacity building and provision of education inputs.

ADMs in General

5. Actual experience in the two-year delay in providing vital inputs during piloting of ADMs should serve
as a source of lessons for DepEd. Before rolling out any initial advocacy and capacity building, the
delivery of essential inputs, such as learning modules, should be ensured and monitored properly in the
right quantity and quality. UNICEF can also draw lessons from this experience for its future programming
in terms of, for instance, establishing measures or policy conditions for extending or retracting support
within an agreed timeline.

6. Implementation of ADMs should be integrated with other innovations and initiatives of DepEd to ensure
that a holistic intervention is provided to pupils of disadvantaged schools. Any future ADM programming
of DepEd must always ensure linkage with and enhancement of other existing innovations and initiatives
as well as best practices in education service delivery.

7. Broadening of teacher training programmes, both pre- and in-service, should be considered to include not
only the standards of conventional public education system but also a wider orientation on education
alternatives or on flexible learning options to address the needs of disadvantaged children.

8. DepEd can consider increasing investment in supplementary instructional materials such as ADM modules
that enable teachers and children to engage in various teaching-learning activities.

9. Education outcomes have to be assessed on both cognitive and psycho-social dimensions. Student
assessment/testing has to be anchored upon the use of a wide variety of assessment strategies to cover
a comprehensive picture of a pupil's progress on values which will enable him or her to investigate,
communicate and participate effectively, and make him or her a better citizen of their community. DepEd
has to institutionalize a holistic perspective on student assessment.

10. ADMs should be prioritized to schools in difficult settings, i.e. congested schools, those implementing
a multigrade scheme, those affected by disasters or conflict, and those with a high incidence of child
labour. Identification of beneficiaries must be anchored on the principle of inclusive education and
equitable distribution of resources. UNICEF can consider developing its own school network mapping
analysis in its coverage areas in order to objectively identify beneficiary schools for validation by the
Division Offices rather than simply relying on the latter in the prioritization of schools.

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 11. UNICEF may want to consider providing technical assistance to DepEd in revisiting the positive results
of the pilot phase as indicated in the findings of the evaluation. It can conduct an in-depth review
of DepEd’s time-honoured and customary policies and practices with an end view of accepting new
paradigms and innovations on the following: (i) expansion of investment from traditional to alternative
inputs for disadvantaged schools; (ii) flexibility of policies on pupil attendance and absenteeism in order
for schools to become more inclusive; and (iii) enhancement of the support system for implementing
innovations.

12. Although UNICEF already gives much attention to assessing the technical aspects of the ADMs in the
planning and design stages, more attention should be given in assessing the ability of frontline DepEd
staff to manage and implement innovations.

13. UNICEF must further provide technical assistance to DepEd and set up accountability measures in its
future programming to ensure that the Recommendations 1 to 12 above are addressed, given priority,
and institutionalized to gain optimum impact for ADMs.

The following are lessons learned from this evaluation that could be of value to DepEd policy planners, UNICEF,
and other development partners:

1. There will be no dropouts for as long as learners are in contact with the school (using an alternative
modality).

2. Emphasis on the individuality of learners is essential to enable their natural and free development within
their physical, intellectual and physical capacities.

3. Acquisition of knowledge and skills is not the main object of public elementary education rather it is the
development and strengthening of learners’ power to help themselves.

4. Any pilot innovation in education is best anchored on a ‘whole-school’ approach; this way, sustainable
development can be integrated throughout the formal sector in a holistic manner rather than just on a
stand-alone basis.

5. This assessment of the piloting of ADMs in the Philippines presents challenges to DepEd as it plans
ADMs’ mainstreaming into the national education system; likewise, it offers lessons to UNICEF in regard
to its programming for children.

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LIST OF ACRONYMS

ADB Asian Development Bank

ADM alternative delivery mode
ALS alternative learning system
AIR apparent intake rate
APIS Annual Poverty Indicators Survey
ASG Abu Sayyaf Group
AusAID Australian Agency for International Development
A&E accreditation and equivalency
BALS Bureau of Alternative Learning System
BEAM Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao
BEE Bureau of Elementary Education
BEIS Basic Education Information System
BESRA Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda
BLP Basic Literacy Program
BP-OSA Balik-Paaralan Para Sa Out-of-School Adult
BSE Bureau of Secondary Education
CCT conditional cash transfer
CFSS child-friendly school system
CGMA Classroom Galing Sa Mamamayang Pilipino Abroad
CHED Commission on Higher Education
CNSP children in need of special protection
CPC Country Programme for Children
CPFI Cordillera People’s Fund Development
CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child
CSR corporate social responsibility
CWC Council for the Welfare of Children
DAC Development Assistance Committee
DAP development asset profile
DAT Division Achievement Test
DBM Department of Budget and Management
DepEd Department of Education
DOLE Department of Labor and Employment
DORP Drop Out Reduction Program
DOST Department of Science and Technology
DSWD Department of Social Welfare and Development
EASE Effective Alternative Secondary Education
ECARP Every Child a Reader
ECCD early childhood care and development
ECDP Early Childhood Development Project
ECE early childhood education
e-Impact Enhanced Instructional Management by Parents, Community and Teachers
EFA Education for All
EMIS Education Management Information System

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EQuALLS Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills
ERDA Educational Restore Development Assistance
FGD focus group discussion
FLEMMS Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey
FSP Food for School Program
GASTPE Government Assistance to Students and Teachers for Private Education
GDP gross domestic product
GEM-CLIC Growth with Equity in Mindanao - Computer Literacy and Internet Connection
GER gross enrolment rate
GNP gross national product
GoP Government of the Philippines
GPI Gender Parity Index
ICT information and communication technology
IS instructional supervisor
JI Jemaah Islamiyah
JBIC Japan Bank for International Cooperation
JICA Japan International Cooperation Agency
KASH knowledge, attitudes, skills and habits
LGC Local Government Code
LGU local government unit
LSB local school board
LSCS literacy service contracting scheme
MBG Misuari breakaway group
MFO major final outputs
MG multigrade
MDG Millennium Development Goal
MPS mean percentage score
MILF Moro Islamic Liberation Front
MIM modular instructional materials
MINSSAD Mindanao Sustainable Settlement Area Development Project
MISOSA Modified In-School Off-School Approach
MNLF Moro National Liberation Front
MOOE maintenance and other operating expenses
MPPE Multigrade Program in Philippine Education
MTEF Medium-Term Expenditure Framework
MTPDP Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan
M&E monitoring and evaluation
NAT National Achievement Test
NCAE National Career Assessment Examination
NCIP National Commission on Indigenous Peoples
NDCC National Disaster Coordinating Council
NDRRMC National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council
NFA National Food Authority
NEC National EFA Committee
NEDA National Economic and Development Authority
NEPP National English Proficiency Program

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NER net enrolment rate
NGO non-governmental organization
NIR net intake rate
NPA New People’s Army
NPSBE National Program Support for Basic Education
NTESDP National Technical Education and Skills Development Plan
ODA official development assistance
OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
OED operations evaluation development
OHS open high school
OHSP Open High School Program
OPIF Organizational Performance Indicators Framework
OSY out-of-school youth
PAGASA Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services
PEM public expenditure management
PGL peer group leader
PHIL-IRI Philippine Informal Reading Inventory
PHIVOLCS Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
PIP program implementation plan
PT program teacher
PTCA parents, teachers and community association
RA Republic Act
RBEC Revised Basic Education Curriculum
SARDO student at risk of dropping out
SBP School Building Program
SBM school-based management
SBO student body organization
SBTP school-based training program
SDS school division superintendent
SEDIP Secondary Education Development and Improvement Project
SEF Special Education Funds
SEMP Social Expenditures Management Project
SER socioeconomic report
SFI School First Initiative
SFP school feeding programme
SH school head
SHNP school health and nutrition program
SII school-initiated intervention
SIMs self-instructional materials
SIP school improvement plan
SREA School Readiness Assessment
STRIVE Strengthening Implementation of Basic Education in Selected Provinces in Visayas
STS student tracking system
SWAP sector-wide approach
TEEP Third Elementary Education Project
TESDA Technical Education and Skills Development Authority

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TIMSS Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study
TLE Technical and Livelihood Education
UBD understanding by design
UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund
WB World Bank
WEF World Education Forum
WSC World Summit for Children

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction .................................................................................................. 14
1.1 Background .................................................................................................. 14
1.2 Evaluation methodology .................................................................................................. 15
1.2.1 Overview .................................................................................................. 15
1.2.2 Evaluation framework .................................................................................................. 15
1.2.3 Data sources .................................................................................................. 15
1.2.4 Methods of data analysis .............................................................................................. 16
1.3 Evaluation team .................................................................................................. 17
1.4 Limitation of the evaluation .................................................................................................. 17
1.5 Organization of the report .................................................................................................. 18

2. Profile of UNICEF investment support to ADMs .............................................................................. 18

2.1 Overview .................................................................................................. 18
2.2 Early support initiatives on ADMs ........................................................................................... 18
2.3 CPC 6 UNICEF inputs .................................................................................................. 19

3. Context of ADMs in the Philippines ............................................................................................. 25

3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 25
3.2 Philippine basic education sector: issues and challenges ............................................................ 25
3.3 UNICEF’s response to Philippine education challenges ............................................................... 27
3.3.1 Background .................................................................................................. 27
3.3.2 Description of ADMs .................................................................................................. 27

4. ADMs’ performance: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability ............................................ 30

4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 30
4.2 Relevance of ADMs .................................................................................................. 30
4.2.1 Overview .................................................................................................. 30
4.2.2 Relevance to the Philippine context ................................................................................ 30
4.2.3 Relevance to UNICEF CFS, UN priorities, and key donors .................................................. 33
4.2.4 Relevance of ADMs to the DepEd’s K to 12 program ....................................................... 35
4.3 Effectiveness of ADMs .................................................................................................. 36
4.3.1 Overview .................................................................................................. 36
4.3.2 Performance improvement on education outcomes: dropout, repetition, promotion,
and National Achievement Test .................................................................................... 36
4.3.3 Development Asset Profiles ......................................................................................... 39
4.4 Efficiency of ADMs .................................................................................................. 40
4.4.1 Overview .................................................................................................. 40
4.4.2 Cost implementation and cost benefit analysis ................................................................ 40
4.4.3 Program inputs to ADMs .............................................................................................. 43
4.5 Sustainability of ADMs .................................................................................................. 43
4.5.1 Overview .................................................................................................. 43
4.5.2 MISOSA .................................................................................................. 44

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 4.5.3 e-IMPACT .................................................................................................. 45
4.5.4 Partnership strategy .................................................................................................. 46

5. Conclusions, recommendations, lessons learned ............................................................................. 47

5.1 Conclusions .................................................................................................. 47
5.2 Recommendations .................................................................................................. 49
5.3 Lessons learned .................................................................................................. 55

Tables
Table 1: MISOSA Modules Provided in 2006 ................................................................................. 20
Table 2: MISOSA Reprinting Expenses, 2008 ................................................................................ 22
Table 3 Budget Provisions for Project IMPACT ............................................................................... 24

Exhibits
Exhibit 1: Level of Child Friendliness Based on CFS Checklist ........................................................... 58
Exhibit 2: Field Observations and Survey Results on Relevance in Conformity with CFS Goals.............. 59
Exhibit 3: Education Performance, DAP and Survey Results on Effectiveness ..................................... 73
Exhibit 4: Cost Benefit Analysis and Survey Results on ADMs ......................................................... 87
Exhibit 5: General Observations on Sustainability of ADMs .............................................................. 95

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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

The Philippines is a party and signatory to the Convention on the Rights of Children (CRC), the World Summit for
Children (WSC), and the World Conference on Education for All (EFA). As such, it subscribes to the principles of
the Child-Friendly Movement (CFM), one of the core strategic approaches of UNICEF’s 5th Country Programme for
Children (CPC 5) implemented from 1998 to 2004. CFM and its Child-Friendly School (CFS) initiative continued
through the 6th Country Programme (CPC 6) where the CFS network was expanded to 4,934 schools and
modifications and interventions were incorporated into the original CFS design. UNICEF deepened its assistance
by activating a Small Grants Programme to enhance student and community participation beyond mere training
and advocacy on children’s rights and the child-friendly school system (CFSS). In addition to the piloting and
expansion of the CFS network at the primary level, two major innovations were carried out in CPC 6, namely:
(i) enriching the CFSS framework by supporting alternative delivery modes to better address the education
of disadvantaged primary school children in particular settings; and, (ii) introducing and adapting the CFSS
framework at the secondary level.

CPC 6 supported two alternative delivery modes (ADMs) developed by the Department of Education (DepEd).
The first is the MISOSA (Modified In-School, Off
–School Approach) which is being implemented
in 44 CFS elementary schools confronted with
Specific evaluation objectives include:
large enrolments and large class sizes. The
- assess the progress made by the
second is the e-IMPACT (Enhanced Instructional
elementary schools modeling the ADMs and
Management by Parents, Community and
the CFS High Schools towards attaining the
Teachers), which is being implemented in 19
objectives of the CFSS;
CFS elementary schools to strengthen multigrade
- assess the relevance, effectiveness,
teaching in small and remote schools. The
efficiency and sustainability of the
ADM schools were supported by building the
innovations in achieving the CFS goals;
capacities of their school heads and teachers
- assess UNICEF’s contributions in the
in implementing the innovations, particularly in
attainment of the results at the project level.
regard to: advocacy with children, parents and
This includes policy advocacy, capacity
community members; provision of teaching and
building, materials, and supervision support;
learning materials; and, on a selective basis,
- identify the key processes undertaken to
supporting improvements in physical facilities.
initiate and implement the innovations;
The ADMs further strengthened school and
- identify the strengths, weaknesses,
classroom management practices in alignment
opportunities and threats in adopting and
with the seven goals of CFS.
sustaining the innovations;
- assess the sustainability of the innovations
UNICEF Philippines engaged International
at the school level and replicability at local
Technology Management Corporation (Intem) to
and national levels within the context of
conduct the evaluation for alternative delivery
BESRA; and,
modes implemented under CPC 6. Included in
- Identify lessons learnt and recommendations
this evaluation, as decided by UNICEF, are two
for the extension years of CPC 6 and the
e-IMPACT schools in Zamboanga City supported
next country programme.
by SEAMEO INNOTECH and USAID’s EQuALLS

14
Project. The Terms of Reference (TOR) for the
evaluation are found in Volume II, Appendix I). The Inception Phase included development of
review of literature based on the questions of TOR
and analysis on how this evaluation will contribute
1.2 Evaluation methodology and be different from earlier researches. First draft
was forwarded to the Reference Group to solicit
1.2.1 Overview
comments for better appreciation and implementation
of this evaluation project. The second draft was
This evaluation was undertaken for UNICEF
prepared addressing the comments and issues
Philippines by Intem under the direction of a
raised by UNICEF and its reference group on the
Reference Group consisting of representatives
1st submission. The Third Draft is submitted to
from Department of Education’s Bureau of
include the 2nd round in-depth meeting of the
Elementary Education, Bureau of Secondary
Reference Group and reflects the agreements among
Education, SEAMEO INNOTECH, USAID’s
its representatives. This 4th draft includes final
EQuALLS Project, and UNICEF’s Education
comments on the 3rd draft and inclusion of quasi-
Section.
experimental approach on the research design. TOR
is very specific with the key questions to guide the
The Reference Group advised the Intem Team
evaluation process. These are categorized in terms of
as to what moves to undertake towards
relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability
implementing the evaluation, paying attention to
of the ADMs.
the design and issues of concern. The Reference
Group consulted with and provided strategic
advice to the Team from time to time on matters
relating to the implementation of the evaluation,
especially on its design and the evaluation tools to be administered in the schools. The Inception Report was
approved on March 2011 and served as the guide for conducting the evaluation. Data collection was carried out
between June and September 2011.

The evaluation conforms to the principles, standards and practices set out in the Norms and Standards for
Evaluation in the UN System (2005), DAC Principles for evaluations (1991), and the DAC Evaluation Quality
Standards (2007).

1.2.2 Evaluation framework

ADMs Evaluation Foci:
With input from UNICEF and the Reference Group,
Intem developed the following: (i) a detailed ADM Context
methodology; (ii) tools for the evaluation; and,
(iii) an evaluation framework summarizing the ADM Performance: (Relevance; Effectiveness;
major evaluation questions and sub-questions Efficiency; and Sustainability)
(See Volume II, Appendix II). A Summary of
Evaluation Foci is provided in the sidebar. ADM Management

1.2.3 Data sources Conclusions, Lessons Learned and Recommendations

Four major sources of data were tapped for this

evaluation, namely: people, site visits to sample
ADM-supported focus schools, documents, and the Basic Education Information System (BEIS).

15
People: A total of 582 individuals were consulted for the evaluation through individual and group interviews and
focus groups discussions. These included UNICEF staff, DepEd officials, bilateral donors, education specialists,
school stakeholders, local government units (LGUs), etc. There were 2040 school children surveyed. See Volume
II, Appendix III for details.

Focus Area Visits: The Evaluation Team visited 33 schools as shown in the sidebar. Seventeen (17) are treatment
schools using ADMs, while 16 are control schools. Of the 17 treatment schools, the 2 IMPACT schools in
Zamboanga City did not receive UNICEF support but nonetheless implemented the alternative mode with assistance
from USAID and were aligned with other UNICEF-supported ADM schools. The sample of control schools was
obtained from among schools in the province or city that were believed to have not received any intervention.
The purposive sampling of control schools was made on the basis of school characteristics, such as: (i) size of
enrolment; (ii) total number of teachers; and (iii) total number of classrooms. Details on the sampling strategy
and the method of data collection in the field visits are provided in Volume II, Appendix IV.

Province/City CONTROL TREATMENT

TOTAL MISOSA IMPACT
Mt. Province 2 2 2 0
Masbate 1 2 0 1
Northern Samar 2 2 1 1
Eastern Samar 2 2 1 1
Zamboanga City 2 2 0 2
Zamboanga Sur 2 2 0 2
North Cotabato 1 2 0 2
Davao 2 2 2 0
Sarangani 2 2 2 0

TOTAL 16 17 8 9

Documents: The Team reviewed several completed researches and studies, indicating the objectives, scope and
coverage, major findings, and areas of enhancement under this evaluation (See summary on Volume II, Appendix
V, full discussion of which was incorporated in the inception report). The team relied heavily on reviews and
evaluations of DepEd, local and international evaluations on ADMs, and UNICEF’s ADMs and CFS program
reviews between 2003 and 2010.

Quantitative Analysis: The Team also utilized quantitative analysis to examine changes in selected indicators.
The evaluation conducted three main perception surveys on CFSS covering: (i) students, (ii) teachers, and (iii)
school heads. Various CFS indicators based on CFS goals were used to gauge effectiveness, relevance and
sustainability of the ADMs. Survey results were tabulated, processed and rated on the basis of percentage of
positive responses to compare ADM schools with Control Schools. Further, a Development Assets Profile (DAP)
survey was used and administered among Grade 6 students of both treatment and control schools.

1.2.4 Methods of data collection analysis

In keeping with the TOR, the bulk of analysis in this evaluation was at the project level rather than country
programme level. However, for the benefit of UNICEF readers, the analysis presented in this main report is
elevated to programme level, while the former remain integrated in the Annexes.

16
The evaluation used mixed research methodologies as well as data-gathering techniques to determine the series
of changes, per variable or group of indicators (relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability), that
occurred during and after program implementation in selected schools as presented in the submitted inception
report. The survey, focus group discussion and case study methodologies were used to generate data and
information that provided a description and evaluation on how the programs were implemented, their strengths
and weaknesses, challenges and issues encountered, solutions, and success stories that could be replicated
in other school settings in the Philippines. The mixed research methodology determined how and why the
interventions had contributed (positively or negatively) to the improvement of the country’s basic education
sector based on the goals and objectives of BESRA, CPC 6 and EFA 2015. Analytical tools used are as follows:
(i) CFS Tools formulated based on the tools used in the UNICEF evaluation with some modifications made in order
to derive relevant data and highlight the importance of CFS in the evaluation; (ii) CFSS Checklist adopted from
UNICEF; and (iii) Development Assessment Profile in cooperation with EQuALLS/USAID.

1.3 Evaluation team

The Evaluation team consisted of the following members:

No Designation NAME

1 Project Director Bernadette V. Gonzales, DPA

2 Team Leader, Local Data Collector, Case Writer Arman G. Balonkita, MPA
3 Deputy Team Leader, Local Data Collector, Carlone Dawang
Case Writer
4 Senior Research Analyst/Statistician, Zita Albacea, Ph.D
Local Data Collector, Case Writer
5 Research Analyst/Statistician, Concepcion Chan, MS & MPS
Local Data Collector, Case Writer
6 Case Writer, Local Data Collector/Processor Jovy Madrinan
7 Case Writer/Local Data Collector/Processor Nestor Mirandilla
8 Case Writer/Local Data Collector/Processor James Felizardo
8 Local Data Collector/Processor Lourdes Hazel Mirandilla
9 Local Data Collector/Processor Josa Pamela Mirandilla
10 Report Writer/Editor Joel Ganibe, MBA
11 Support Staff/Finance Ellen Malli

1.4 Limitation of the evaluation

The evaluation faced a number of challenges related to information gathering on education indicators for a 10-
year span. Field data on many occasions were not consistent with the central data. The Team, in agreement
with UNICEF, used official information published in the Basic Education Information System (BEIS).

The evaluation was limited in the use of the DAP tool which is patented to Search Institute. While the Team
administered DAP tools to establish a baseline in terms of social and emotional skills among Grade 6 pupils in
schools implementing ADMs, they were not used to assess performance between treatment and control schools.

17
Data from the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI) and RAMSE were not utilized since they are not
properly consolidated and organized in the schools and Division Offices.

Since the scope of evaluation was on a project level, only limited findings and conclusions could be drawn in
relation to UNICEF’s overall education programme or the broad thrusts and priorities of the Philippines’ education
programme. The Terms of Reference had grown in complexity with the different expectations and inputs from
the Reference Group. The scope was still firmed up, however, as reflected in the Evaluation Summary Matrix of
the approved Inception Report.

1.5 Organization of the report

 Chapter 1 presents the background for the evaluation and methodologies used.

 Chapter 2 discusses UNICEF’s historical support to ADMs.

 Chapter 3 puts into context MISOSA and e-IMPACT as alternative modes of delivery of basic
education in the Philippines.

 Chapter 4 assesses the ADMs’ performance as to their relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and
sustainability.

 Chapter 5 gives the conclusions, recommendations and lessons learned.

All Exhibits are presented at the end of the main report and can be read separately for further perusal. Appendices
are provided in Volume II. Four Case Studies are presented in Volume III.

2. PROFILE OF UNICEF INVESTMENT SUPPORT TO

ADMs

2.1 Overview

This chapter provides an overview of UNICEF support to ADMs in the Philippines since the 1990s as well as
financial investments made in ADMs during CPC 6.

2.2 Early support initiatives on ADMs

UNICEF has been assisting DepEd in piloting, implementing and institutionalizing alternative modes of delivering
elementary education. Most notable among these is the establishment of multigrade (MG) classes combined with
mobile teaching. MG classes consist of 30 to 40 pupils of two or more grade levels handled by one teacher. In
1994, DepEd, with funding assistance from UNICEF, trained national and regional staff on MG instruction as an
initial step towards institutionalizing this alternative mode. In connection with this, DepEd issued Department
Order No. 96, s. 1997 setting the policies and guidelines in the organization and operation of multigrade classes.

18
By 1999, the multigrade teaching program was being implemented in all regions in the country except in the
National Capital Region (NCR). During CPC 5’s implementation from 1999 to 2003, UNICEF put emphasis on
building models for child-friendly schools as a means of ensuring that children stayed in schools. It also sought
to find out why some children dropped out or failed and bring back excluded children in the classroom.

2.3 CPC 6 UNICEF inputs

During CPC 6, UNICEF strongly supported the adoption of alternative modes of delivery of basic education to
enrich the CFSS Framework in specific disadvantaged settings and make the school system more inclusive
and flexible. Such settings include congested learning environments, multigrade schools, disaster-prone areas
and schools where children have difficulty coping with the regular school calendar. In the context of the UN
Development Assistance Framework, ADMs are innovations that enhance the flexibility of formal basic education in
serving diverse needs of children. ADMs use modular instructional materials alongside the formal basic education
curriculum. DepEd regards ADMs as “tried and tested” alternative modalities within a formal school system that
allow schools to deliver quality education to marginalized students and those at risk of dropping out in order to
help them overcome personal, social, and economic constraints in their schooling (DepEd Order No. 54, s. 2012).
Indeed, the ADMs being supported by UNICEF include Project e-IMPACT (Enhanced-Instructional Management
with Parents, Community and Teachers) and the Modified In-School/Off- School Approach (MISOSA).

MISOSA is meant to serve children under difficult circumstances, particularly those in congested classes and
those who cannot attend schools regularly, during the final half of elementary education (Grades 4, 5 and 6)
through school-community partnership arrangements. MISOSA was developed and piloted by DepEd in 14
primary schools during SY 2005-2006. In 2006, UNICEF supported the orientation and training of teachers on
this alternative approach. Additionally, it funded the reproduction of learning modules for 44 selected schools
in CPC 6 areas. Reproduction cost amounted to Php 1,002,760.00 (USD 25,069.00). The modules benefitted
85,254 pupils. (See Table 1.)

19
Table 1: MISOSA Modules Provided in 2006

CPC-6 Area No. School Recipient Male Female

CAR
Mountain Province 1 Paracelis CD Paracelis District 398 378
1 Puya- Ao, Nanotin District 127 97
1 Otocan ES 136 136
Region-2
Isabela 1 Capellan ES, Illagan East District 202 208
1 Matasalem ES, Roxas East District 191 165
1 Alibadabad ES, San Mariano District 188 177
1 Ilagan East 156 143
Region 3
Aurora 1 Nonong ES, San Luis District 164 168
1 Mucucdol ES, Dipaculao District 132 122
NCR
Manila 1 R Almario ES 331 310
1 Aurora A Quezon ES 1353 1184
1 Gregoria G De Jesus ES 1322 1231
1 Legarda ES 2752 2688
Pasay 1 Kalayaan ES 2145 1998
1 Timoteo Paez 1900 1893
1 P.Zamora 1195 1124
Quezon Payatas A ES 2907 2515
San Diego ES 2654 2473
Commonwealth ES 6154 6072
Bacong Silangan ES 3271 2997
Holy Spirit ES 2998 2806
Region 6
Antique 1 Camancijian ES, Culasi District 188 190
1 Pis-anan ES, Sibalom Sotuh 241 185
1 Calag-itan ES, San Remigio 156 144
Capiz 1 Pontevedra ES, Pontevedra District 553 457
1 Don Antonio Belo MES, Panit- an District 220 199
1 Rizal ES, Pontevedra District 226 199
Region 7
Negros Oriental 1 Sta Agueda ES 339 293
1 Datagon ES 202 186
Region 8
Eastern Samar 1 Guian East Central School, Guinan East District 187 168
1 ESDPES( Eugenio S Daza Pilot)
ES- Borongan East District 1011 1049
Northern Samar 1 Pambujan C/S 1245 1269
1 Nenita ES 334 330

20
CPC-6 Area No. School Recipient Male Female

Region 11
Davao City 1 Magallanes ES, Davao Central District 2553 2580
1 Buhangin Central ES, Buhangin District 186 189
1 JL Porras ES, San Roque District 1219 1098
1 Santa Ana CES 1554 1568
Region 12
Sarangani 1 Kiamba Elem School 1050 987
1 Kamanga ES- West Isulan District 741 772
1 Rudes ES 195 194
Sultan Kudarat 1 Tulale ES, Bagumbayan Dustrict III 152 143
1 Kamanga ES- West Isulan District 260 249
1 Baluan ES ( instead of Ala Central) 160 169
CARAGA
Agusan del Sur 1 Bunawan West CES 205 187

TOTAL 44 43,853 41,690

85,254

21
In 2008, some of the materials were reprinted to fill the deficiency in modules in 14 of the above-listed schools
supported by UNICEF. Reprinting expenses amounted to PhP 809,655.60. (See Table 2.)

Table 2: MISOSA Budget Reprinting, 2008

Modules Pages Total Copies Cost (in PhP)

English 4 490 192 94,080.00

English 5 338 272 91,936.00
English 6 564 192 108,288.00
Math 4 448 72 32,256.00
Math 5 398 72 28,656.00
Math 6 378 72 27,216.00
Filipino 4 372 152 56,544.00
Filipino 5 240 272 65,280.00
Filipino 6 236 192 45,312.00
Epp 4 270 72 19,440.00
Epp 5 362 112 40,544.00
Epp 6 464 32 14,848.00
Hekasi 4 600 32 19,200.00
Hekasi 5 404 72 29,088.00
Hekasi 6 508 32 16,256.00
Science 4 280 32 8,960.00
Science 5 296 32 9,472.00
Science 6 352 72 25,344.00
732,720.00
10% 76,935.60
809,655.60

Other activities supported by UNICEF were a number of training orientations, evaluation of ADM materials, field
monitoring, and revision of MISOSA modules to align with the DepEd’s Revised Basic Education Curriculum
(RBEC).

e-IMPACT was originally conceived as IMPACT (Instructional Learning Management by Parents, Community and
Teachers) in the 1970s. It used learning modules and utilized members of the community to deliver lessons.
In 2005, SEAMEO INNOTECH re-launched it in five project sites in the Philippines. Now known as e-IMPACT
(with the addition of ‘e’ for enhanced), it is now enhanced with multimedia components and other technological
features while maintaining its main instructional feature. As an ADM, e-IMPACT is meant to enhance multigrade
teaching and learning. It helps provide more varied learning opportunities for children such as: (i) regular face-
to-face interaction with teachers; (ii) child-to-child interaction, with older children (Grades 4-6) trained to handle
and teach younger children (Grades 1-3); and (iii) peer learning, where children learn as a group (or family) with
one student assigned as leader. Child-to-child interaction helps hone leadership skills and communication skills of
children assigned as program teachers. The ’family’ concept, on the other hand, provides the venue for pupils to
be responsible for one another and be part of the learning process of every member. Instructional management,
or the delivery of instruction, is not the sole responsibility of teachers, but of parents and the community as well.

22
Parental participation their children’s education is encouraged. Community members are invited to share their
experiences and expertise.

In 2006, orientation training on e-IMPACT for two batches of participants were conducted by SEAMEO INNOTECH
for DepEd with support from UNICEF. The training covered selected staff of schools in specific CPC areas where
there was interest in adopting this innovation. The first training, conducted in Cebu, was for schools in the Bicol
and Visayas regions. The second training, held in Davao, was for schools in Mindanao. A follow-up training was
conducted for them in 2007 focusing on the instructional delivery system of e-IMPACT. Investment by SEAMEO
INNOTECH on the training was Php3.6 million. A total of 115 school staff and 59 regional, division and district
supervisors were trained.

Following this, e-IMPACT modules were reproduced for 19 schools (two schools were added to the original 17
school beneficiaries), with 10 sets of teaching modules (10x60) and a complete set of peer learning modules
(448) for every two pupils in Grades 3 to 6. Along with these, blackboards were supplied at a ratio of 1 per
10 pupils per grade. Additionally, a library for the modules in the testing room, as well as other equipment and
teaching aids were given. Each e-IMPACT module cost an average of Php 30,135.50 per set. The modules
benefitted 19 schools with 3,458 pupils. (See Table 3.)

23
Table 3: e-IMPACT Modules Provided as of 2008

CPC-6 Area No. School Recipient Male Female

Region V
Camarines Norte
1 Pag-asa ES, J Panganiban West District 48 48
1 M Guinto ES, Vinzons District 35 40
Masbate
1 M. R Espiosa ES, Milagros West District 100 85
1 San Pedro ES, Cataingan East District 326 295
Region VI
Antique 1 Ass. Man Moscoso ES
Guimaras 1 Maabay Multigrade School, Sibunag District 45 35
Region VIII
Eastern Samar 1 Factoria ES
Northern Samar 1 Libas Elementary School 121 120
Region IX
Zamboanga del Sur
1 Caridad Multigrade School 46 43
1 Villaris Multigrade School 44 25
1 Motosawa Multigrade School 40 50
Region X
Bukidnon 1 Kibenton Elementary School 203 210
Region XII
North Cotabato
1 Nabundasan ES, Tulunan District 48 44
1 Limatong ES, Pigcawayan District 74 75
1 Del Pilar ES, Alamada West District 48 55
CARAGA
Agusan 1 Aguinaldo Elementary School 50 40
ARMM
Sulu 1
1 Dandan Ututalum Elementary School 450 406
1 Utoh Laja ES 142 138
Sulu 2 1 Siasi Elementary School 476 510

TOTAL 19 1,742 1,716

3,458

During succeeding years, school packs, library sets, and other educational materials were provided to schools
alongside with continuous training on instructional delivery, which included: (i) training for children serving as
program teachers; (ii) development of instructional materials for enhancing the capacity of teachers to develop
school-based instruction, (iii) indigenous teaching-learning materials for their pupils to complement the IMPACT
modules; (iv) mentoring sessions; and other (v) enhancement training such as on preparing test items and on
making schools sustainable.

24
Specific investments in MISOSA and e-IMPACT is difficult to delineate since investments are lodged under
support to the Child Friendly School System and inclusive education. Several activities on capacity building,
monitoring of CFSS, monitoring and evaluation on meeting EFA and CPC 6 goals, and database management
system had been in some way related to ADM implementation.

3. CONTEXT OF ADMs IN THE PHILIPPINES

3.1 Introduction

This section discusses the context of ADMs in light of pressing education issues and challenges faced by the
Philippines in meeting its commitments on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Education-For-All
(EFA) by 2015.

3.2. Philippine basic education sector: issues and challenges

The country maintains one of the most extensive public school systems in the developing world with total
enrolment surpassing those of rich and more developed countries. Yet, critical gaps remain in terms of equitable
access, quality and governance. The public school system is simply too big and the resources too little. Quality
is poor and the system needs to be strengthened and managed more effectively. While school coverage improved
significantly through the years, internal efficiency remains low and is virtually stagnant. Unless considerably
addressed, EFA goals and MDGs will not be met on time.

Poverty is directly linked to the current state of Philippine education. The 2008 Functional Literacy, Education,
and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) reveals that of the 39 million population aged 6-24 years, 32 per cent, or 12.3
million, are not attending school. Of this number, 24 per cent say that the prohibitive cost of education deters
them from going to school, 22 per cent are either working or looking for work, and 20 per cent lack interest in
going to school. Data from the Philippine Labor Force Survey (PLFS) indicate that boys make up more than half
of the total number of working children. Their share ranged from a high of 65 per cent in 2004 to 63 per cent
in 2009. Generally, 6 in 10 working children did not attend school. In April 2010, there are 2.4 million working
children in the country (PLFS, 2010). These children reside in vulnerable households, in fragile communities, and
in conflict or post-conflict areas (Muslim areas). Some are orphans, are affected by HIV/AIDS, or have disabilities.

Achieving universal basic education faces big challenges in terms of completion rate given the increasing
percentage of dropouts. According to the EFA Plan 2015 assessment, about 312 will leave school before
finishing Grade 6, most of them in the first grade. In poor provinces and conflict areas, 10 per cent of all enrolees
are less likely to finish elementary school (ADB, 2009). In public elementary schools in SY 2009-2010, 124,528
dropped out before reaching Grade 5; 64 per cent of them were boys. Although the dropout rate has abated over
the past years, it is not declining fast enough to meet the 2015 target on universal primary education (UPE). In
SY 2009-2010, completion rate (CR) stood at 64 per cent. For the past eight years, CR has averaged at 65 per
cent. Girls at the elementary level had a completion rate of 67.57 per cent (68 in every 100 girls), while male
completion rate was 59.82 per cent (60 in every 100 boys) with 1.08 GPI (108 girls in every 100 boys) (PCW,
2009). One major reason why children do not complete elementary education in the Philippines is the lack of

25
access to complete elementary education. To date, about 10 per cent, or around 3,800, of elementary schools
mostly located in sparsely populated areas do not offer complete education.

While the dropout rate is decreasing slowly among elementary school pupils, it is increasing among high school
students. In SY 2009-2010, the dropout rate rose to 5.4 per cent compared to -1.9 per cent in SY 2008-2009.
It is estimated that for every 1,000 first year high school entrants, only 248 will graduate within the required
four years; about 389 will leave school without completing the four years; and 353 will graduate after repeating
two to three times, averaging out to 6.7 years before completion. Boys are twice more likely than girls to repeat
or drop out of school. Students who stopped schooling in SY 2009-2010 accounted for 14.7 per cent of total
number of students who completed years 1 to 3 of secondary education during the previous school year. These
students opted to drop out for a year or two then enrolled again after some time. One big reason for dropping
out is poverty and the times they are out of school are spent in helping their families augment the family income.
Dropout rate in the secondary level virtually remained unchanged from SY 2005-2010.

While considered ‘negligible’, each year’s number of dropouts accumulates and is now estimated to total to five
to six million. Still, a big number of pupils are at risk of dropping out. Many come from large classes, schools
with high enrolment rates, and schools in depressed, disadvantaged, underserved areas.

Nationwide, the mean percentage scores (MPS) of both Grade 6 and second year high school students in the
National Achievement Test (NAT) in SY 2009-2010 were below the passing MPS of 75 per cent (DepEd BEIS,
2010-2011). NAT results showed an MPS of 68.01 per cent at the elementary level and 45.56 per cent at the
secondary level.

The Government through the DepEd continues to address the problem on accessibility to quality and complete
elementary education. Despite the interventions, however, there are still pockets of problem areas brought about
increased enrolment, poor targeting of resources, classroom damage due to natural calamities, and disparities in
resources and funding among schools in the different regions. Teacher shortage—estimated at more than 20,000
in 2004—was substantially addressed through the creation of 37,620 new teacher items in 2004-2007. This
improved the teacher-pupil ratio in public elementary schools from 1:50 previously to 1:30 in SY 2009-2010.
However, wide disparities continue to exist with some schools experiencing a shortage of teachers and others
having a surplus of them. Redeployment of teachers, as a solution, is constrained by the Magna Carta for Public
School Teachers which prevents teacher transfer to other stations without their consent.

Over time, the continuing unresolved issues of accessibility, availability, and quality education have resulted in
millions of adults lacking literacy skills. The 2010 EFA Global Monitoring Report states that between 2000 and
2007, the country witnessed large increases in illiterate adults of over 1.4 million. Population growth—estimated
at 2.04 per cent annually—has contributed partly to this increase. Deficient in quality education and lacking
in productive skills, the country’s young people face a less secure future against a highly competitive global
economy (PESA, INTEM for USAID, 2011).

The 2010 EFA Global Monitoring Report Reaching the Marginalized contends that the global economic downturn
created a lost generation of children in many of the world’s poorest countries whose life chances have been
irreparably damaged by a failure to uphold their right to education. The report examines these children who are
being left behind, and looks at concrete solutions for making sure that no children are excluded from schooling.
Recognizing the challenges, successive DepEd administrators have progressively refined a set of reform strategies
to make the system more responsive to local needs and committed to improved learning outcomes. There has

26
been continual consensus on the nature of reforms needed to empower communities and stakeholders and move
them to action. The reform strategies are articulated in the EFA 2015 Action Plan and translated into policy
actions under the BESRA. (See recent basic education sector assessment in Volume II.)

One such policy action is the enhancement of Alternative Delivery Modes on basic education which entails the
mainstreaming of innovative interventions validated with reference to international literature and local efforts
anchored on the School Based Management Framework. It reflects DepEd’s belief that if such ADM innovations
are mainstreamed or institutionalized in educational planning and as an intervention in the 66,000 overcrowded
public schools in the country (as of June 2012 account of Office of the President), not only the perennial issues
of lack of classrooms, teacher items and textbooks will be addressed but also the long-standing concern of
providing all school-aged children with access to quality and complete elementary education.

3.3 UNICEF’s response to Philippine education challenges

The Millennium Development Goal for Education is to provide universal primary education for all children by 2015.
Towards achieving this MDG, the Government of the Philippines (GoP) has committed itself to increasing the
participation rate and improving achievement levels among primary and secondary students. To realize these, it
is banking on its own initiatives and on collaboration efforts with development partners, among them UNICEF.
To help the Philippine Government deliver on its educational mandates, UNICEF along with local partners and
through its Country Programme for Children, has embarked on the implementation of the Child Friendly School
System (CFSS) and alternative modes of delivery of basic education.

3.3.1 Background

Alternative Delivery Modes (ADMs)—also known as alternative education, non-traditional education and
educational alternative—includes a number of approaches to teaching and learning formal basic education other
than mainstream or traditional education. ADMs usually make use of modularized instructional materials but
which are articulated with the formal Basic Education curriculum. ADM differs from Alternative Learning System
(ALS) as the latter refers to non-formal and informal education offered to out-of-school children and youth aged
15 and above.

3.3.2 Description of ADMs

a) MISOSA

The Modified In-School, Off-School Approach (MISOSA) is a program developed by the Bureau of Elementary
Education (BEE) and piloted in 14 schools in 2005. MISOSA aims to: (i) solve congestion in schools with
big enrolment; (ii) address the need of children for adequate learning materials; (iii) mobilize and strengthen
community support; and (iv) improve students’ performance. MISOSA is implemented in large classes (with more
than 50 students) in Grades 4, 5 and 6 to address the perennial problem of congestion resulting from lack of
classrooms, shortage of teachers, overpopulation, and other factors. Congested classes are subdivided into an
In-School Group with classroom and subject teachers, and an Off-School Group with a para-teacher.

Under MISOSA, classes are split into 2 groups (A and B) with half the class group being taught by the regular
teacher in the classroom and the second group taught by a para-teacher in an alternative venue. The group
with the teacher, referred to as ‘in-school’ has formal lessons using basic textbooks and teachers manuals. This
approach uses the conventional mode of teaching wherein the teacher prepares a lesson plan according to the

27
RBEC and supplements his/her instructions with the aid of textbooks. Learning is further enhanced through
prepared activities and exercises. On the other hand, the group with the para-teacher works independently using
the modules under the supervision of the para-teacher. This is referred to as ‘off-school’ as it utilizes alternative
venues outside school but within reach for monitoring. The off-school approach makes use of self instructional
materials (SIMs) or modules that contain lessons to be learned for the day based on the different learning areas.
Pupils can learn independently in an alternative venue other than the regular classroom under the supervision of
a para-teacher. ‘Off-school’ is done from Mondays to Thursdays; the pupils are then re-grouped as one class on
Fridays for diagnostic, enhancement and remediation by the regular teacher. The ‘in-School’ group is handled
by a teacher and undergoes formal lessons using basic textbooks and teachers manuals. This approach uses
the conventional mode of teaching wherein the teacher prepares a lesson plan according to the Revised Basic
Education Curriculum (RBEC) and supplements his/her instructions with the aid of textbooks.

b) e-IMPACT

The Enhanced Instructional Management by Parents, Community and Teachers (e-IMPACT) learning system is
a technology-enhanced alternative delivery mode developed by the SEAMEO Regional Center for Educational
Innovation and Technology (INNOTECH) to address issues in accessibility and quality of education in schools
usually handled by a few teachers teaching multigrade classes. Developed and first piloted in 1974 in five rural
elementary schools in Naga, Cebu, the innovation was later expanded and piloted in an urban setting in Lapu-lapu
City and in Sapang Palay, San Juan del Monte in Bulacan. After several consultations with the then Ministry
of Education, six other regions opted to also pilot the learning system following a set of criteria for selection
of schools. In 2005, DepEd, in collaboration with SEAMEO INNOTECH, UNICEF and USAID/EQuALLS, further
expanded the coverage of e-IMPACT in several schools within the coverage of UNICEF CPC 6 and USAID/
EQuALLS.

The learning system follows a set of principles to guide implementation. Foremost is the recognition that children
are active participants in the learning process, a principle upheld through the use of learning modules based on the
RBEC. The modules serve as an intermediary for self and group learning inside a school campus and at home. To
supplement the learning modules and to ensure active participation, older pupils from Grades 4 to 6 are engaged
as program teachers and peer group leaders. During the learning sessions, all pupils are given the opportunity to
recite and participate in the discussions.

Multiple entry and exit is encouraged; pupils are allowed to enter schooling at their most opportune time and
leave when it is most convenient. During seasonal and prolonged absences of pupils, teachers allow the pupils
to bring home a copy of the module for home study. Family members, peers, neighbours and family ‘group’
members take turns to assist the absent pupils to master the modules. Home visits are also conducted by the
teachers to reinforce their home studies. The absent pupils can visit their schools to take a mastery test and take
home a higher module for continuous study. The e-IMPACT principle further holds that multiple entry and exit are
provided so that anyone of school age can enroll in the school at any time of the year. In practice, however, this
runs counter to a DepEd policy prescribing an enrolment period and another policy requiring students to attend
at least 80 per cent of the total number of school days. Progress of learners is tracked by their individual speed
while levelling is dictated by their mastery of modules rather than their completion of a school year. Through
this, learners are not forced beyond their personal capacities.

Group learning is the primary mode of learning delivery, thus education becomes a socializing process and
supports leadership development. The ‘family’ concept provides the venue for pupils to be responsible for each
one and be part of the learning process of every member. Instructional management, or the delivery of instruction,

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is not the sole responsibility of the teachers, but of parents and the community as well. Participation of parents
in their children’s education is encouraged. Community members with notable professions or skills—nurses,
dentists, carpenters, dressmakers, others—are invited to share their experiences by serving as resource speakers
or facilitating class projects, science experiments, technology demonstrations for kids, and the like.

The teacher is the manager of the learning process. His/her role is to provide enrichment to the lessons for a
better and deeper understanding of concepts and to ensure that all pupils learn in the process. During times when
the older children are not teaching the younger children, he/she is still able to have a face-to-face interaction with
all of them. The transition of a teacher from a knowledge resource to a facilitator of the learning process is one
of the outstanding features of this ADM.

Pupils are proportionately divided into ‘family groups’ consisting of 6-10 pupils per level from Levels 1 to 6
for a total of 40-50 pupils per family. There are four modes of delivery in e-IMPACT. Programmed Teaching is
conducted by grouping pupils into ‘families’ with 40-50 members who are divided proportionately from Grades 1
to 6. The groupings are heterogeneous (a mixture of slow, average and fast learners) and primarily composed of
siblings, neighbours and friends. The concept of the ‘family’ grouping was deemed necessary to inculcate a sense
of belonging among the members, following the cultural practice of Filipinos where the family is the basic social
group. In the programmed teaching, pupils belonging to Levels 4, 5 and 6 (Grades 4, 5, and 6 in the conventional
mode of delivery) conduct the learning process for Levels 1, 2 and 3 (Level 6 for Level 1 pupils, Level 5 for
Level 3 pupils and Level 4 for Level 2 pupils) within the ‘family’ using a set of modules and pre-designed learning
materials through the supervision of an instructional supervisor (IS), equivalent to the classroom teacher in the
conventional setting. The selected programmed teachers, who are generally the fast learners, are trained/coached
by the IS several days prior to the actual conduct of the learning process which also makes use of learning aids.
Peer Group Learning is done in Levels 4 to 6 and supervised by a resource coordinator (RC) who also manages
1-3 families. The remaining Level 4, 5 and 6 pupils, grouped separately, conduct peer group learning through the
supervision of an RC who is the equivalent of the subject area teacher in the conventional set-up. Peer group
leadership is rotated among the members to lead the learning process. The peer group leaders are trained by the
RC and assist in the development of learning aids. Tutoring is conducted by either the IS, RC or by other family
members. Self-learning is done by fast-paced pupils or by pupils who have to go on prolonged absences due to
illness or the need to assist their families to gain income.

As UNICEF continuously supports CFSS in the Philippines, it continually charts future directions, programmes
and collaborations in ADMs to better address education MDG goals. Moreover, it continues to explore education
policy initiatives by engaging key stakeholders.

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4. ADMs’ PERFORMANCE: RELEVANCE,
EFFECTIVENESS, EFFICIENCY, SUSTAINABILITY

4.1 Introduction

This Chapter reviews the overall performance of MISOSA and e-IMPACT from four different perspectives: project
relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of outputs.

4.2 Relevance of ADMs

4.2.1 Overview

This section examines the extent to which MISOSA and e-IMPACT are aligning with the challenges and priority
needs of the basic education system of the country. The context of relevance is anchored on how pertinent,
connected or applicable the ADMs are towards the end goal of increasing access to complete and quality basic
education at various disadvantaged settings as stipulated in the BESRA.

4.2.2 Relevance to Philippine context

Finding 1: MISOSA and e-IMPACT objectives

were relevant to the needs and priorities of the Relevance is the extent to which the objectives of
Philippines ADMs are consistent with disadvantaged children’s
The programme objectives of the two AMDs requirements, country needs, global priorities, and the
to address the education needs of children in policies of partners and donors.
disadvantaged settings—those in overpopulated
schools or lack classrooms and teachers and
those who cannot attend classes regularly due
to emergencies, work or remoteness from school—were clearly aligned with the needs and priorities of the
Philippine education sector. The reasons are discussed below.

Focus on access to complete elementary education

BESRA, formulated in 2005, defined a package of fundamental policy reforms for the attainment of EFA 2015
goals to counter the challenges confronting the sector in achieving MDG 2 on universal primary education. The
country is in a dilemma as it is unlikely to achieve MDG 2 target. The country is lagging behind the targets of
achieving access to primary education as measured by net enrolment rate, cohort survival rate and completion
rate. BEIS data shows that only a little over 50 per cent of 6-year-old children enrol in Grade 1 at the right time.
Another major challenge is with cohort survival and completion given the increasing percentage of dropouts from
5.99 per cent in 2007-08 to 6.28 per cent in 2009-10. The big number of incomplete schools (approximately
3,800) nationwide is considered one of the major reasons why elementary completion rate, for so many years,
remains at about 70 per cent. High dropout rates persist despite efforts to intensify dropout reduction programs.

The 1987 Philippine Constitution mandates the State to provide “free public education in the elementary level,
and without limiting the natural right of parents to rear their children, elementary education is ‘compulsory’ for

30
all children of school age.” In operational terms, such is synonymous to ensuring that every child of school age
must be enrolled in Grade 1 and stay in school for the entire cycle of elementary education. This is likewise the
essence of Millennium Development Goal 2 (MDG2) of achieving universal primary education with a target of
ensuring that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary
schooling. Alongside MDG2 is the planning and policy framework of the Philippine Education-For-All (EFA) 2015
Plan which lays down the over-arching objectives for primary education subsector, such as: (i) universal school
participation and total elimination of drop-outs and repetition in Grades 1 to 3; (ii) universal completion of full
cycle of basic education schooling with satisfactory achievement levels by all at every grade or year; and (iii)
commitment by all Philippine communities to the attainment of basic education competencies.

MISOSA and e-IMPACT were piloted and moulded for the above context. The policy environment for which they
were conceptualized was framed by DepEd policies alongside with Government and donor and development
partner commitments.

Two years after their pilot implementation, DepEd released Memorandum No. 242, series of 2008 on the
ADOPTION OF THE MODIFIED IN-SCHOOL OFF-SCHOOL APPROACH (MISOSA) IN CLASSES WITH BIG
ENROLMENT. This was followed by another policy through Department Order Number 53, Series of 2011, issued
on July 13, 2011 entitled Guidelines on the Utilization of Funds for Alternative Delivery Modes (ADMs) in Formal
Basic Education. The department order cited the adoption of MISOSA and e-IMPACT as alternative delivery
modes and provided funds for the training of regional and division champions, training of teachers, reproduction
of modules, additional learning materials, monitoring and evaluation, etc. The same Memorandum referred to the
Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 General Appropriations Act (GAA) allocating two hundred million pesos (Php200,000,000)
for the implementation of ADMs at the elementary and secondary levels, where 75 per cent of the amount
(Php150,000,000.00) whould go to the implementation of the MISOSA, e-IMPACT and Multigrade projects and
25 per cent (Php 50,000,000) to the implementation of the Dropout Reduction Program (DORP).

Focus on quality education

The right of children to quality education is articulated in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child. The Philippines is obligated to realize this right for them. Teachers, the main duty-bearers in the education
bureaucracy, are accountable for the quality of children’s learning outcomes.

The results of the National Achievement Test (NAT) are dismal and so are the results of the High School Readiness
Test conducted in May 2004. Only less than one per cent of the incoming first-year students have achieved
Grade 4-level competencies in English, Mathematics and Science. The results of the national assessments
are indicators of the poor performance in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)
where the Philippines ranked 34th among 38 countries in the Grade 8 Mathematics test and 43rd among 46 in
the Science test. Per EFA Report, it was alarming that out of the “688 who completed primary school, only 7
graduates scored at least 75 per cent in achievement tests in English, Science and Math, which is the standard
for mastery of required competencies (as cited in EFA Plan 2004). Despite rising school attendance, there had
been no impact on functional literacy. This situation contextualizes the problem in elementary education: it is
not enough that children are simply sent to school; children have to be kept in school and given quality learning.

MISOSA and e-IMPACT were relevant in meeting the goal of quality education. The design of MISOSA SIMs
addressed the issue of poor performance brought about by the absence of workbooks and lack of textbooks,
teacher-related concerns such as lack of relevant subject training, poor teacher preparation, and shortage of other

31
educational inputs including classrooms, desks, blackboards and the like. SIMs/Modules had served as alternative
means of delivering quality teaching and learning in lieu of the conventional textbooks and use formal classrooms
which were lacking in some schools. SIMs served as references and workbooks for the children as the materials
guided them from the learning objective to specific activities they had to undertake. SIMs can be used in any
available space within the school premises, such as kiosks, natural shades and other areas.

New modules for e-IMPACT were developed by SEAMEO INNOTECH following the RBEC. These were delivered
in 2008 as replacements of the old modules. Modules in e-IMPACT are aligned with the requirements of the
existing elementary education curriculum of the DepEd. The initial modules used in 1981 by CLC were designed
in 1976 by SEAMEO INNOTECH following the education curriculum at that time. An updated RBEC-compliant
version was adopted in 2006 and has been in use since 2008. The use of e-IMPACT SIMs combined with regular
face-to-face interaction with teachers, child-to-child interaction, and peer learning approach enhances mastery of
learning competencies of pupils despite some constraints in the learning environment.

Decentralized education strategy

The Basic Education Act of 2001 (Republic Act 9155) has provided a governance framework for basic education
by empowering the schools and giving cognizance to the value of community stakeholders. This institutionalized
local decision-making through the mandatory preparation of school improvement plans by school heads and
community stakeholders. With their empowerment , some administrative and instructional supervision functions
of the divisions were delegated to them. Thus, the schools in essence take fuller authority, accountability and
responsibility for accessible quality education and this serves as a foundation for the School-Based Management
(SBM) approach in service delivery. World Bank studies on the impact of SBM in the Philippines suggests that
it contributes positively to student enrolment, dropout and repetition rates, teacher and student attendance,
teaching quality and teacher performance. However, the effectiveness of SBM would depend largely on the
capacity at local level and decision making authority.

The ADMs were in alignment with the goals of the SBM approach. Interviewed municipal and barangay
LGUs, community members, and PTAs showed strong link with the pilot schools and demonstrated authority,
accountability and responsibility by implementing counterpart system assistance in terms of physical facilities
improvement, demand-side support, provision of advocacy training and learning materials, compensation of
volunteer teachers, etc. However, more valuable than resource generation or financial and material contributions
was the moral support of parents and community members who unselfishly rendered volunteer services in cleaning,
securing, and maintaining school facilities and accompanying the teachers in advocating for the children’s rights
to education. During one harvest season, some Grades 4, 5 and 6 pupils were even encouraged to help in the
rice fields or take care of their younger siblings so their parents could attend to their farm. Pupils from extremely
poor families were saved from dropping out through the introduction of the ADM modules.

Strong cooperation among stakeholders is important for ADMs to be implemented properly. School heads played
key roles in getting support from local LGUs and community stakeholders. ADMs provide an avenue to empower
schools towards achieving better education outcomes.

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 4.2.3 Relevance to UNICEF’s CFS, UN priorities, and key donors

Finding 2: MISOSA and e-IMPACT objectives were aligned with UNICEF’s Child Friendly Movement as well as the
priorities of other development agencies

Assessments of ADMs’ relevance to UNICEF’s Child Friendly Movement indicated that ADMs were highly
congruent and in fact supportive in meeting the goals of the Child Friendly School System.

Relevance to Child-friendly School goals

A survey on relevance in conformity with CFS goals among students, teachers and school heads was conducted
to get their perceptions and validate and triangulate inferences based on observations and interviews.

In a survey involving pupils, MISOSA and

e-IMPACT were perceived to be most relevant CFS Goals under Child Friendly Movement:
in terms of increasing enrolment and completion.
Both addressed the issues of high dropout and GOAL 1 – Encouraging children’s participation in
low participation rates and needed improvements schools and community
in the teaching-learning process. In contrast GOAL 2 – Supporting children’s health and well
to the AMDs, control schools scored lower on being
all elements of relevance with respect to CFS GOAL 3 – Providing safe and protective spaces
goals. A similar trend was noted in a survey for children
among teachers. As for the school heads, both GOAL 4 – Increasing enrolment and completion
MISOSA and e-IMPACT were perceived to be GOAL 5 – Increasing children’s academic
most relevant in terms of increasing children’s achievement and
academic performance, providing safe and success
protective spaces for children, and promoting GOAL 6 – Enhancing teacher’s morale and
children’s health and well-being. In partnership motivation
with parents and the community, other child- GOAL 7 – Mobilizing community support for
friendly interventions were integrated into the education
ADMs such as feeding programmes, tracking
of nutritional status of undernourished children,
and management of pedestrian crossings across
schools.

Progress of the schools in terms of child-friendliness is measured through the presence or absence of the
indicators as presented in the checklist. Ideally, the self-assessment tool should be conducted every year with
the involvement of education stakeholders including school heads, PTA representatives, teaching staff, the ‘pupil
government’, the local government, and community groups.

Admittedly, accomplishment of the checklist was not consistently done and if ever these were accomplished, the
results/reports were said to have been forwarded to the Division or higher office which were not easy to trace.
Based on the FGDs (with teachers, LGUs and parents), interviews (with school heads) and ocular surveys, the
schools appeared to be at the ‘developing stage’ and nearing achievement of an ‘established stage’ where most
of the indicators, core principles and goals are established but still with room for improvement.

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As per available self-assessment tool, all MISOSA schools are ‘established’ child-friendly schools having average
scores of 71-90 per cent. This means that the MISOSA schools are able to implement many of the core
principles and goals but with some room for improvement. A common area for improvement is Goal 2 ‘Health
and well-being of pupils enhanced’, particularly in addressing their dental needs, implementing feeding services,
and provision of a functional clinic. Most schools point supply-side deficiencies in physical infrastructure and
facilities, i.e. classroom furniture, recreation and sports facilities, instructional materials, and annual medical
examination for teachers.

For e-IMPACT, common areas for improvement are: (i) Goal 2, in terms of addressing pupils’ medical and dental
needs, implementing feeding programmes, provision of a functional and equipped school clinic, and providing
adequate potable water sources and sanitation facilities; (ii) Goal 3, in terms of augmenting instructional
facilities such as classrooms, industrial arts rooms, laboratory facilities, recreational/sports facilities, library
space and reference materials. The schools are particularly strong in Goal 7, ‘Mobilizing Community support for
education’. See Exhibit I On the Level of CFSness of MISOSA and e-IMPACT Schools.

Congruence with UNICEF priorities

The Country Programme for Children (CPC) has evolved from being an area-based programme to one that
implements sectoral programs for child survival, development, protection and participation. UNICEF implemented
its sixth CPC, or CPC 6, which was originally planned for a five-year period from 2005 to 2009, but was extended
until 2011. Among the components of CPC 6 are health and nutrition, water sanitation and hygiene, education,
child protection, HIV and AIDS prevention, communication, and social policy.

Since 2006, selected CFSS primary schools

in disadvantaged settings have been further
Key Expected Results of CPC 6 Addressed by ADMs:
supported to adopt ADMs. MISOSA intended to
reduce the dropout rate and raise achievement
1. By 2009: All 8,500 primary schools and 225
scores in some implementing schools with the
pilot secondary schools in the 24 focused areas
reduction in class size and exposure to activity-
have adopted the child friendly practices and
centred, life skills-based modules guided by para-
tools
teachers. Although MISOSA delivery using para-
teachers was short-lived, the SIMs were observed
2. Disparity in educational outcomes for girls and
to help pupils who were at risk of dropping out.
boys, especially in the 24 focus areas, has
The adoption of e-IMPACT as second ADM to
been reduced with particular attention given to
strengthen multigrade education was observed to
disadvantaged primary schools
have triggered behaviour change among children
not only in terms of enhanced drive to learn but
also a greater initiative to help younger siblings
with their school work. Moreover, children were observed to have gained self-confidence and developed their
leadership and communication skills.

As such, the ADMs were congruent with UNICEF priorities as articulated in CPC 5 and CPC 6, particularly in
regard to the best interests of the child, and the right of the child to participate and be listened to. The ADMs
matched the emphasis given by the UN to the human rights based approach (HRBA) to programming for children,
as well as its strong focus on disparity reduction, i.e. reaching the unreached, most disadvantaged and most
vulnerable.

34
Congruence with other development partners

The objectives of ADMs in the education sector reflect the priorities of key agencies working in the country such
as World Bank, USAID, AUSAID and ADB. Most studies and expert documents, including ADB’s 2010 Education
Outcomes in the Philippines, show that the leading cause of poor learning outcomes and rising dropout rates
remains to be widespread poverty.

AusAID support to UNICEF in 2008 enabled progress against milestones in 10 target provinces in Mindanao.
2,344 schools (81 per cent of the Performance Assessment Framework target) adopted the CFSS in implementing
a student tracking system, as well as SBM and ADMs.

Fifty-seven per cent of these schools improved performance in at least two of the three education indicators:
the National Achievement Test, cohort survival, and net enrolment (AUSAID Annual Performance Report, 2008).
From July 2006 to July 2011, USAID helped improve access and quality of basic education in Mindanao under
our Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS) project. EQuALLS is working
closely with DepEd Central Office and its regional office in the Autonomus Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)
as well as with local government units to increase learning opportunities for some 300,000 children and youth
in conflict-affected Mindanao by providing infrastructure and learning materials, improving instruction quality in
English, Science and Math, and mobilizing local governments, communities, and other local stakeholders to give
greater support to basic education.

Two pilot schools have been able to adopt the enhanced IMPACT due to support from SEAMEO INNOTECH
and USAID/EQUALLS2. The two organizations collaborated to enhance the modules and bear the cost of
reproduction to enable pilot schools to adopt the enhanced ADM. Re-training of teachers was also shouldered
by USAID-EQuALLS2.

Similar commitments were made by World Bank, ADB and other UN agencies in supporting the GoP in realizing
EFA 2015 goals with respect to addressing the country’s difficulty in achieving universal primary education due
mainly to the lack of accessibility, shortage of teachers and insufficiency of school infrastructure. These shortages
worsen because of increased enrolment, poor targeting of resources, classroom damage due to calamities, and
disparities in resources/funding among schools in different areas. Another factor is the relative high cost for poor
families to send their children to school. WB and ADB are now engaged in the GoP’s Conditional Cash Transfer
(CCT) programme to arrest the increasing dropout rate and enhance survival of the poorest pupils.

4.2.4 Relevance of ADMs to DepEd’s K to 12 Program

Finding 3: MISOSA and e-IMPACT objectives were significant to the implementation of the K to 12 Program to
ensure that children in difficult situations have equitable access to complete and quality elementary education

Basic education is undergoing a major transformation under the present administration’s 10-point agenda to
“fix basic education.” The K to12 program is the centerpiece of this transformation that will extend the period
for basic education from 10 to 12 years and make kindergarten a prerequisite to Grade 1. K to 2 is aimed at
enhancing the quality of basic education as a matter of urgent policy action by enhancing the curriculum and
making education relevant to socio-economic development. Much has been said about the system’s capacity to
meet the huge resource requirements to address shortages and deficits in classrooms, equipment and teachers.
DepEd is hiring 700 additional pre-school teachers and another 10,000 to be engaged under service contracting.

35
An increase of 40- 50 per cent is foreseen in the hiring and deployment of additional teachers and construction
of new classrooms. The next four years (2012-2016) is crucial for the introduction of the new curriculum.
School access and attendance are factors that determine the success of a child’s education. In remote locations,
insufficient school funds contribute to low attendance rates by creating undesirable and unsafe learning
environments. With insufficient budget and increasing large numbers of pupils, public schools will further lack
classrooms, books, and supplies for their students. The lack of classrooms leads to prohibitively large class
sizes—as many as 60 students in some schools—making for an undesirably high student-teacher ratio. Moreover,
one basic requirement for the effective implementation of the K to 12 Program is ensuring that all children
have access to complete and quality elementary education even if they are in difficult situations. As such, it is
expected that there will be a need for ADM support to help address EFA and MDG-2 challenges. (See Exhibit II
on the details of results of observations and surveys pertinent to relevance of ADMs.)

4.3 Effectiveness of ADMs

4.3.1 Overview

The purpose of this section is to assess the effectiveness of ADMs in the Philippines over the period 2003-2010.
The analysis examines ADMs’ effectiveness in realizing education access and improving learning outcomes.
The Evaluation Team analyzed the trend of performance indicators at baseline (SY2002-03) and latest data (SY
2009-10) of the selected schools in the eight CPC 6 focus divisions and in Zamboanga City. The performance
indicators included: (i) simple dropout rate; (ii) promotion rate; (iii) repetition rate; and (iv) National Achievement
Test (NAT) results in terms of mean percentage score (MPS) of schools as well as percentage of learners
achieving mastery levels. Performance of schools implementing ADMs and control schools were compared vis-
à-vis National Performance during pre-intervention and intervention stages. Furthermore, Intem went beyond
the cognitive areas of effectiveness. The Team also piloted the Development Asset Profile (DAP) instrument
as developed by USAID-Project EQuALLS. The DAP instrument was administered to Grade 6 pupils of schools
implementing ADMs to measure “social and emotional” status/profile of pupils.

4.3.2 Performance improvement on education outcomes: dropout, repetition,

promotion, and the National Achievement Test (NAT)

Performance improvement on dropouts

Finding 4: Schools implementing ADMs made contributions to improve school performance against the increasing
dropout rate. MISOSA treatment schools have been more effective than control schools. There has also been
a reduction of dropouts among IMPACT treatment schools, suggesting better performance than control schools
while not that statistically significant.

MISOSA as an intervention holds promise

as noted from the slight decrease in dropout Effectiveness is a measure to what extent have the
rate from an average of 1.70 per cent before ADMs contributed to improve access and learning
intervention to 1.16 per cent during treatment outcomes.
with an improvement of 0.54 per cent. After the
MISOSA was introduced in 2006 along with the
CFSS, gradual improvement in dropout performance was observed. MISOSA treatment schools registered lower
dropout rates than control schools. This was observed despite MISOSA being implemented only for one group

36
of students, that is, just one class section per elementary level throughout the entire implementation period of of
three years. For the control schools, a slight increase of 0.17 per cent in dropout rate was noted. Compared with
the National Performance, it was observed that the average of 0.53 during pre-intervention was reduced to 0.22
per cent in the intervention stage among Grades 4-6 pupils. On the other hand, the control schools registered an
increasing trend from 0.69 to 0.85 per cent.

For e-IMPACT, 6 in 9 schools visited recorded zero dropout rates in 2009, which was the second year of full
implementation of e-IMPACT (except for Culianan LC that has implemented IMPACT for more than 20 years and
has recorded no dropouts in the past seven years). The seemingly high performance was due mainly to the small
population of the schools. However, the arrest of the dropout rate in 2009 was not conclusively attributable to
e-IMPACT as some other schools also recorded zero dropouts only to see their rates rise again in succeeding
years. On average, the e-IMPACT schools had a dropout rate of 1.08 per cent in 2003, peaking at 2.17 per cent
in 2006, slowly abating when the ADM was implemented in 2008, and further going down to 0.89 per cent in
SY 09-10, for a drop of 0.19 per cent during this span. Compared to control schools, the average dropout rate
in 2003 was 1.93 per cent, 1.45 per cent in 2006, down to 1.25 per cent in 2009, for a drop of 0.68 per cent.
For the control schools, a slight increase of 0.17 per cent in dropout rate was noted. It was also observed that
a gap of 0.12 per cent between e-MPACT treatment schools and National Performance during pre-intervention
period was reduced to 0.02 per cent in the intervention time among Grades 1-6 pupils.

Performance improvement on repetition

Finding 5: Schools implementing ADMs made contributions to improve school performance on Repetition Rate.
There was a reduction in repetition rate among MISOSA and IMPACT treatment schools, suggesting better
performance than control schools although not that statistically significant.

MISOSA schools registered highest repetition rates in 2004 at 2.0 per cent. This gradually declined to 0.03
per cent in 2008 but slightly increased again to 0.79 per cent in 2009. This shows an erratic trending of this
performance. MISOSA schools compared with control schools have higher repetition at an average of 0.35 per
cent on pre-intervention period. This narrowed to 0.19 per cent during the intervention period. Compared with
National Performance, MISOSA schools gained lower repetition rate by 0.25 per cent during the intervention
stage.

Meanwhile, both e-IMPACT and control schools registered almost the same repetition rates in 2006 at 3.2
per cent when the ADM was first introduced. By 2008 when the innovation was implemented, the treatment
schools already had a higher repetition rates. But by 2009, the treatment schools were able to reduce the ratio
of students who repeat their grade levels while the control schools increased their ratios. e-IMPACT schools have
reduced the gap with National Performance from 0.8 per cent in the pre-intervention stage to 0.1 per cent in the
intervention stage.

37
Performance improvement on promotion

Finding 6: Schools implementing ADMs have improved school performance on Promotion Rate. There is an
increase in promotion rate among MISOSA and IMPACT treatment schools, suggesting better performance than
control schools although not that statistically significant.

Promotion rate is a measure of the percentage of pupils who complete a grade level and are promoted to the
next level. In the case of MISOSA, from a low of 94.80 per cent in 2003, treatment schools reached a high of
97.19 per cent in 2009. Performance results, however, showed promotion rate for both MISOSA and control
schools in an erratic trend from 2003 to 2009. MISOSA schools had a higher promotion rate of 7.55 per cent
than control schools on pre-intervention. They remained higher during the intervention stage but the gap was
narrowed to 2.03. It should be noted, however, that between MISOSA and National Performance, the gap was
not reduced but instead widened to 5 per cent because of the unusually low performance in SY 2007-08 of both
treatment and control schools.

Meanwhile, the average promotion rate in e-IMPACT schools of 95.94 per cent in 2003 slightly decreased to
94.45 per cent in 2006 but improved again to 97.15 per cent in 2009 with a noted incremental increase of 1.21
per cent. Compared to control schools, the average promotion rates were 93.99 per cent in 2003, 95.23 per
cent in 2006, and a slightly higher 95.97 per cent in 2009 for a gain of 1.98 per cent. The average performance
rate of 96.4 per cent of e-IMPACT schools during intervention stage was higher by 3.87 per cent than the
National Performance rate of 92.53 per cent.

Performance improvement on National Achievement Rate

Finding 7: Schools implementing ADMs made significant contributions to improve school performance on National
Achievement Rate.

National Achievement Test score (NAT-MPS) is in an increasing trend during the years of MISOSA implementation
from 2006 to 2007. The score is also higher compared to the year before it was implemented, that is, 52.3
per cent in 2003 to 64.99 per cent in 2009. For control schools, NAT-MPS was in an increasing trend from
2003 until 2009 also. However, when compared to schools under MISOSA, NAT-MPS in control schools was
consistently lower from 2006-2009. Compared with the National Performance, the gap of 4.91 per cent during
pre-intervention was reduced to 0.39 per cent during the intervention period.

Performance in the NAT in all e-IMPACT schools were registered below the national standards of 75 per cent
MPS in 2003, before the introduction of the e-IMPACT intervention, with an average of MPS of 41.36 per cent.
In 2006, the average MPS is registered at 56.96 per cent with two schools scoring above the national standards.
The MPS was further improved to 71.49 per cent in 2009 with 4 schools scoring above the national standards.
For control schools the average MPS in 2003 was 51.73 per cent, then went down to 47.85 per cent in 2006
and went up again to 62.66 per cent in 2009, with 2 schools registering a MPS above the national standards.
Compared with the National Performance, during pre-intervention stage, e-IMPACT schools were lower by 8.96
per cent. A turnaround happened during the intervention period where average e-IMPACT schools registered a
higher performance rate by 9.41 per cent.

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 4.3.3 Development Asset Profiles (DAPs)

Finding 7: Children under ADM scored higher in DAP than those in non-intervention groups, though the difference
is fairly small.

Another tool used by Intem is the Developmental Asset Profile (DAP) of Search Institute to determine the social
and emotional status of MISOSA and e-IMPACT pupils. Preparation for this survey was done in close collaboration
with staff of EQuALL/USAID. The DAP tool was administered to Grade 6 students of both treatment and control
schools. The DAP categorized internal assets into school, family and community which are necessary factors in
the development of children.

MISOSA

Both MISOSA schools and control schools were under acceptable (0.70) ratings for gaining both external and
internal social assets. External Assets of MISOSA pupils were at acceptable level (0.70), while those of control
schools were rated as ‘promising’. Internal Assets for MISOSA were high in school than in family or community.
It therefor showed an affirmative picture of the school being a place for developing children’s internal social
assets. The same held true with control schools where school and family were regarded as positive sources for
internal social assets. In category view, Boundaries and Expectations had the highest positive lookout coupled
with Commitment to Learning, meaning that family, school and community provide clear rules and expectations.
Positive peer and adult influence and high expectation mean that parents and teachers are encouraging the
children to do well with their studies. Control schools showed similar trending in Boundaries and Expectations as
the most developed asset. Commitment to Learning (0.80) had a ‘good’ rating, meaning children are motivated
to do well in school, actively engage in learning, and care about their school. The least asset category rating
was on the Constructive Use of Time with a ‘promising’ rate (.63), indicating that children need more exposure
to engage in creative activities. This calls for a balance of mental, physical and psycho-social needs of children.
Control schools, on the other hand, named positive values as the least developed assets, meaning there is a need
to emphasize more in improving positive values, e.g. caring, equality, integrity and honesty.

e-IMPACT

In context view, both e-IMPACT and control schools were rated as ‘acceptable’ with 0.71 and 0.70 scores in
Internal Assets with both school categories garnering higher ratings in school and family assets as compared to
community assets. This means that the school and the community have more influence in the development of
children. Pupils in both school categories also rated external assets (personal and social) as ‘promising’ (0.66).
Looking at the category view, pupils in e-IMPACT and control schools rate Internal Assets as ‘acceptable’ (both
with a rating of 0.70), and external assets as ‘promising’ (with a rating of 0.67 and 0.68, respectively). For the
asset categories, Boundaries and Expectations were rated highest (‘acceptable’, with both having an identical
score of 0.76) with Support (‘acceptable’, 0.73 rating) and Commitment to Learning (‘acceptable’ at 0.73 rating)
also scoring high in both school categories. This means that the schools, families and communities offer clear
rules and expectations in the teaching and learning processes and at the same time provide the necessary support
and encouragement to garner better achievement levels. Pupils themselves are committed to gaining knowledge
and the necessary attitude and skills in the learning process.

Constructive Use of Time category scored lowest in both school categories which indicates an imbalance in
the mental, physical and psycho-social activities of pupils. Seemingly, pupils are spending more time in mental

39
development to the detriment of the other
factors. Pupils in e-IMPACT schools feel they Efficiency is the measurement of the amount of
are more empowered than their counterparts resources used by ADMs to the amount of desired
in control schools with an ‘acceptable’ and result achieved through them. This takes into account
‘promising’ classification, respectively. This can their ability to improve school environment through an
be attributed to the development of leadership optimum use of existing resources.
capabilities as one of the principles of e-IMPACT
as incorporated in the processes. However,
Positive Identity was more pronounced in control
schools (‘acceptable’ level) than in e-IMPACT schools (‘promising’) given the premise that all the control schools
are advocating for CFSS while e-IMPACT is more focused on the implementation of processes.

(Tables and Graphs on the above Education Performance and DAP Results are seen in Exhibit 3.)

4.4 Efficiency of ADMs

4.4.1 Overview

The purpose of this section is to assess the efficiency of ADMs as piloted in the Philippines. A simple Cost-benefit
Analysis (CBA) will involve data analysis of both recurrent and investment expenditures of maintaining ADMs
over a period of five (5) years and determine the benefits in terms of addressing problem areas of education
indicators in particular to achievement, survival or simple dropout. This will be further compared with the unit
costing per student of a conventional school using DepEd national cost standards.

Finding 8: The cost of implementing ADMs is much less costly than the conventional delivery system. The ADMs
have also yielded higher benefit scores in terms of education outcomes than the regular system among their
respective control schools.

4.4.2 Cost implementation and cost benefit analysis

MISOSA

Prior to the issuance of DepEd Order Number 53, series of 2011, there was no allocation for the honorarium of
the teacher-facilitator in the off-school mode. As had been experienced in most MISOSA schools, the teacher-
facilitator holds the same responsibility as that of a regular teacher in ensuring that the learners are able to gain
the competencies as required in the modules. Without any financial consideration of the services rendered, the
teacher-facilitator would quit his/her job in consideration of other employment opportunities. In most of the
schools visited, the teacher-facilitator only lasted for the first year or less of implementation because of the
voluntary nature of the job.

The above context was taken into consideration in analyzing its program’s cost as compared to the program’s
benefits for a period of time, expressed in pesos, as an aid in determining the best investment of resources.
Hence, the cost of MISOSA without the ‘off-school’ scheme was compared with the total cost of public education
and lost productivity that will be eliminated as a result of more pupils being educated instead of dropping out.

40
Simple cost-benefit analysis

Pre-implementation

The large amount of expenses incurred at the DepEd Central Office for preparatory activities related to the
implementation of ADMs. The bulk of the budget is spent on trainings and preparation, reproduction and
distribution of modules and instructional materials. Social marketing and advocacy campaigns were done by each
school when they were prepared to implement the interventions. Including the preparatory activities in looking
into the cost-benefit analysis of implementing the interventions would definitely increase the cost efficiency to a
very high level as compared to the conventional method of teaching.

A simple cost-benefit analysis is presented as follows:

Training of MISOSA implementers (assuming 1 classroom should be decongested), 1 teacher, 1 teacher

facilitators, 1 school head, 5 day training

3 persons X 5 days X 1000/day = PhP 15,000

Transportation:
3 persons X 1000 = PhP 3,000

  Reproduction of modules
Assumption: 5 subject areas with 1 module used every week for the off-school group during the
40 weeks to conduct classes in one school year for a total of 200 modules; cost of module is
at Ps 15/ module; the number of off school pupils is 25 at any one time

200 modules X 25 pupils X Ps 15/module = PhP 75,000

Total cost for MISOSA implementation = PhP 93,000

Note: honorarium of teacher-facilitator is not included since during the conduct of the study, teacher
facilitators do not receive any financial assistance from any source during the implementation of MISOSA.

Generally, a classroom being considered for MISOSA should have an enrolment of at least 60 pupils in grades
4, 5 or 6. The cost per pupil during the first year of implementation is estimated at Php 1,550. Assuming that
the modules have a shelf life of 5 years, the yearly investment for every pupils directly benefitting would be Php
310 only.

Implementation: Regular vis-à-vis MISOSA

Comparative analysis on an estimated 6-year per student cost of education showed that MISOSA may be
delivered at a lower cost at Php 20,164.10 per year than regular Php 40,818.94 even if lodged within the
existing school management system. The difference could have been much wider if the ‘off-school’ approach
was implemented to account cost advantage of para-teachers versus regular teachers as well as makeshift versus
regular classroom buildings. MISOSA is much less costly to implement by 49.40 per cent compared with the
regular mode.

41
On the other hand, for benefits in terms of education outcomes, the intervention brought about the following
benefit scores above the control schools on the following: (i) Dropout Reduction of 0.61 per cent; and (ii)
Decrease on Repetition Rate of 0.46 per cent. Based on this evaluation, it showed that MISOSA had provided
more benefits in terms of reducing dropout and repetition as compared with control schools. This means that
supporting MISOSA through modules and kiosks would give more benefit in addressing dropout and repetition
problems. Other education indicators on promotion and NAT did not yield positive benefit as against control
schools.

e-IMPACT

Per pupil cost

Primarily, the cost of training of teachers and cost of initial modules and updated modules were the major
expenditure items in implementing e-IMPACT. As shown in a brochure of SEAMEO INNOTECH browsed through
its website (http://seameo-innotech.org/projects/eimpact.htm), the cost per pupil is around Php 1,344/pupil/year
during the expected shelf life of the modules of five years for a school of 100 pupils.

Cost of modules can be lowered to about Php 500 per pupil if reproduced at 0.75 to 1.25 pesos per page, instead
of original book printing. Reproduction cost may even be lowered if mass produced.

The school had minimal cost in the training of teachers as refresher courses were incorporated in INSET
trainings conducted during regular schedules. Resource persons were generally the teachers who had long been
implementing the program.

Teacher training, which can be delivered by the Division, may be estimated at Php 15,000 per school (based on
the experience of Pangao-an High School), or about Php 117 per pupil per year based on a student population of
129. Adding the two, average cost of implementing the innovation is estimated at around Php 1,461/pupil/year
or Php 600/pupil/year if the modules were locally reproduced. Furthermore, improvement in school facilities was
covered in the regular programs of DepEd that were identified by the school in support to the ADM.

Comparative analysis: e-IMPACT vs. Regular School

On a per student cost, it was noted that establishing a regular school is more expensive than establishing an
e-IMPACT school. Comparative analysis on an estimated six-year per student cost of education showed that
e-IMPACT may be delivered at a lower cost (PhP 22,601.28) than regular (Php 39,694.74). This means that
e-IMPACT is much less costly to implement by 43.06 per cent compared with regular school.

For benefits in terms of education outcomes, the intervention brought about the following benefit scores above
the control schools: (i) Dropout Reduction of .67 per cent; (ii) Increased Promotion Rate of 19.37 per cent; and
(iv) Decrease on Repetition Rate of 1.73 per cent; and (i) NAT Increase to an average of 13.63. Based on these
results, it can be said that e-IMPACT had provided more benefits in terms of improving education outcomes on
NAT and promotion rates.

(See Exhibit IV for further details on Cost Benefit Analysis and Survey Results on Efficiency.)

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 4.4.3 Program inputs to ADMs

Finding 9: Delays and insufficiency of material inputs for the schools from project launching reduced the ADMs’
programme efficiency and effectiveness.

The sequencing of preparatory activities was followed and contributed to each major activity from planning to
implementation to evaluation. In the case of MISOSA, however, it was noted that in some schools, it took from
one-and-a-half to two years from launching for modules to be delivered to the schools. The modules piloted were
not sufficient for Grades 4 to 6 as they were distributed on a by-grade level. One school in Northern Samar
lost most of its MISOSA modules when the school was flooded in 2009. The schools, however, managed to
complete their respective sets of modules by borrowing from each other.

Meanwhile, the modules and teachers’ guides for e-IMPACT schools were sufficient and were maintained in
the resource centre. However, in the small schools visited, there was an apparent lack of audio-visual materials
which were supposed to be delivered to them to support the ‘enhanced’ innovation. In some cases, there were
reports of some missing modules when inspected upon delivery. Also, some modules mentioned ‘big books’ and
compact discs but these were missing during the school visits.

Finding 10: The absence of systematic approach to accounting/stewardship of program inputs, such as capacity
building, learning resources and monitoring and supervision, reduces potential cost-effectiveness of ADMs.

Stewardship and accounting of program inputs

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
were primarily lodged with the school heads
Development’s Development Assistance Committee
of implementing schools. But in most cases, it
(OECD DAC) defines sustainability as the continuation
was noted in the evaluation that there were no
of benefits from a development intervention after
proper turnover of programmatic activities and
major development assistance has been completed;
accounting of materials and accomplishments of
the probability of continued long-term benefits; and/or
the interventions. These were noted in schools
the resilience to risk of the net benefit over time.
where the school heads were barely one year or
newly installed in the position. In the course of
Team’s visit to MISOSA schools, no reference
manual for teachers was seen in the schools.

The operational challenge to ADM innovation happened when there was a re-shuffling of school heads and
teachers who were trained on ADM operations. Particularly with e-IMPACT, efforts can be put at risk of being
discontinued and gains reduced if records and responsibilities are not properly turned over of and re-orientation
on technical operations is not conducted,

4.5 Sustainability of ADMs

4.5.1 Overview

The evaluation team looked into the sustainability of the ADMs beyond normal resource provision as it considered
the various existing linkages between the school and the community, support agencies and development partners.
At some point, stakeholders would have to be weaned from external donors and their resources. All development
assistance, outside of emergency and humanitarian relief efforts, decidedly would have to be designed and

43
implemented with the aim of achieving sustainability.
4.5.2 MISOSA

Finding 11: The ‘off-school’ approach of MISOSA was not sustainably implemented as planned because of the
difficulty of schools and their stakeholders to maintain para-teachers and volunteers. Nonetheless, the initial
experiences of involving them were highly valued by stakeholders due to their potential strong contribution
towards improving the educational performance of the children. Notably, no ‘off-school’ site was implemented
in the real sense but rather just an ‘off-classroom’ space within the school premises.

Implementing an ‘off-school’ alternative mode without providing regular allowance for para-teachers and
volunteers from poor (fifth- and sixth-class) municipalities proved difficult and unsustainable. To date, none
of the pilot schools are implementing the ‘off-school’ approach. During the field visits, it was noted that while
LGUs (barangay, municipal and provincial units) could initially provide considerable support, they could not be
helping the schools all the time because of their meagre resources. Thus, assistance from them are sometimes
unpredictable.

Some LGU stakeholders also failed to attend the MISOSA orientations conducted for concerned schools.
Advocacy was left to the school heads in getting support for the remuneration of para-teachers. Even before pilot
implementation of MISOSA in 2005, there was already doubt, as documented, of stakeholders on the capacity
of the PTA to absorb the remuneration of para-teachers. This was taken for granted and resulted in short-range
implementation as expected. On the other hand, school heads and teachers had no direct participation in program
design or conceptualization. There was no opportunity for them to share their misgivings on the ‘off-school’
approach.

It should be noted, however, that case studies on MISOSA have shown that local stakeholders—especially pupils,
parents and community members—had valued much the presence of volunteer teachers. Their high dedication
to facilitate MISOSA despite meagre compensation impacted strongly on the community. For some schools,
however, the ‘off-school’ approach’ did not come easy, as noted by researchers, because it required significant
advocacy as well as open-mindedness on the part of parents. It was noted that some parents did not want
volunteer teachers to facilitate learning for their children since the former have no accountability on the security
of their children outside school premises. This is one reason why there was no ‘off-school’ as it was actually
piloted but rather an ‘off-classroom that was within the school premises.

Finding 12: The ‘in-school’ module-based approach (use of self-instructional materials or modules) of MISOSA
was sustainably implemented by the schools.

Pupils, teachers, parents and school heads strongly agreed on the effectiveness of SIMs/modules. Sustainability
in terms of continued utilization of SIMs/Modules was of utmost importance for the schools since this effectively
addressed their major challenge of improving their education performance. The careful handling of these now
five-year old modules and their continued utilization and incorporation into the regular class manifests that the
‘in-school’ approach is indeed sustainable.

Overall, the Team confirmed that module-based delivery is able to engage stakeholders at various levels during
its implementation. That prospect of stakeholders ‘owning’ this innovation and and sustaining it is high. Still, the
importance of continued advocacy cannot be overstressed.

44
Extent of replication

Finding 13: The use of SIMs/modules has been replicated in other schools (both performing and non-performing)
maximizing the resources of the Division Office owing to the high confidence on the modules’ effectiveness in
improving education outcomes.

Favourable conditions led to the continued utilization of MISOSA SIMs/modules. The dedication and commitment
of school heads, teachers, division supervisors and coordinators ensured adherence to DepEd Central Office’s
policy guidelines and directions. Policy intervention at the Division level ensured replication of effective practices.
SBM Fund Grantees, for instance, was advised to invest on the reproduction of MISOSA modules.

Finding 14: The complete provision of self-instructional materials/modules to all Grades/Levels 4, 5 and 6 was
desired by the schools to ensure sustained learning for their children; however, this was not achieved during the
pilot implementation.

It was noted that the ‘piecemeal’ piloting of MISOSA was an inhibiting condition. MISOSA was piloted on
a by-grade level in three schools per selected province. A 1:1 pupil to module ratio for Grades 4 to 6 pupils
could have made a significant difference and a more coherent research output could have been extracted. It
was only recently that the SIMs/modules were being distributed to pilot schools, though still in limited number,
through school-generated funds. Based on the list of modules and learning packages provided to the schools, it
was observed that UNICEF inputs were spread thin over a larger number of CPC 6 school coverage areas. The
question is whether the quantity of inputs and hence the impact of service delivery can be correlated as the
program was piloted.

Partnership strategy

Finding 15: The effective use of SIMs/modules forged strong partnership among school stakeholders, particularly
parents, and this ensured continuity of support more valuable than financial contributions that they can afford
to give.

The community and the PTA were identified as the closest and most important partners in the frontline delivery
of education services. They were also key to piloting the ‘off-school’ approach and sustaining the ‘in-school’
approach. More valuable than financial and material contributions was the moral support of parents and
community members in rendering volunteer services in the cleaning, securing, and maintaining of the facilities as
well as joining the teachers in advocating for children’s right to education. MISOSA modules proved to be very
beneficial to children at risk of dropping out of school because of extreme poverty and because they have to work
to help feed their family.

4.5.3 e-IMPACT

Sustainability of e-IMPACT at the local level

Finding 16: e-IMPACT as ADM has been sustainably implemented by the schools as planned.

Sustainability in terms of continuous use of the modules and implementation of the four modes of e-IMPACT
delivery on programmed teaching, peer group learning, tutoring and self-learning were done at the school level.

45
Initial modules were provided by UNICEF and DepEd with expected shelf life of 5 years. Current modules were
provided in 2008 when e-IMPACT was still on its third year of implementation. The modules were observed to
be still in good condition, meaning their pages were intact and print was still clear and readable. According to
teachers of Culianan LC (the school implemented the first IMPACT program for about 20 years prior to e-IMPACT),
shelf life of the modules can be prolonged to more than 10 years with proper handling and safekeeping. This
was made possible through proper instructions on their use. In some schools, parents agreed to bear the cost of
replacing damaged modules while in the custody of their children. Barring calamities that could possibly destroy
the modules, their availability for use was assured. Proper use of the modules of course relied heavily on the
dedication and commitment of school staff to implement the ADM. In view of frequent transfers, resignations,
and promotions in the DepEd (as it is indeed a dynamic organization), proper attention must be given to training
replacement staff to ensure that the necessary skills continue on with the programme.

4.5.4 Partnership strategy

Finding 17: The complementation of resources among development partners as well as the pooling of their
insights into a particular ADM and geographic location was an effective strategy to improve results. Partnership
forged at the school level was the most crucial factor in ensuring the sustained benefits of e-IMPACT.

DepEd signed partnership agreements with UNICEF and USAID/EQuALLS to support the implementation of
e-IMPACT in common convergence areas in Mindanao. The two organizations provided support on the production
of modules, training of DepEd personnel, school heads and teachers, provision of audio-visual and reference
materials, and construction of some infrastructure and facilities. Sharing of resources created synergy towards
the achievement of common goals and priorities.

DepEd and UNICEF also partnered with SEAMEO INNOTECH, a leading research institution in the South East Area
Region, in developing innovative ways to deliver and pioneered the implementation of IMPACT in the 1970s.
While piloting was done during that decade and various enhancements were done until the early 1980s, adoption
and mainstreaming of this ADM was not done until 2005 when the DepEd, UNICEF, INNOTECH and USAID/
EQuALLS partnership pushed for the implementation of the ADM in additional schools (among the expansion
schools in 1981, only Culianan LC was included in 2005). INNOTECH enhanced the previous modules and
update these to conform to the requirements of RBEC. It also provided resource persons during the conduct of
the various trainings related to e-IMPACT.

Partnerships forged at the school level were perhaps the most essential in the implementation of e-IMPACT.
Various advocacies conducted by the school staff in the communities resulted in the provision of material,
financial and labour contributions for the improvement of the learning environment through the PTA, LGUs,
generous individuals and owners of business establishments. Generous individuals provided financial assistance
for the school needs and transportation costs of needy pupils. Barangay LGUs regularly allocated funds from their
internal revenue allotments to support education-related activities and lobby for more support from the municipal/
city government to support the school. More important than these were the moral support provided by the village
councils to the pupils and teachers and their effort alongside school heads and teachers to seek out absent pupils
during their advocacy rounds on children’s rights, including their right to education.

46
Extent of replication at the local and national levels

Finding 18: The apparent high cost of inputs to initially implement e-IMPACT limited the wide replication of the
ADM at the local and national levels.

Replication of e-IMPACT at the local level was done on a limited scale using low-cost reproduction of modules
with support from the PTA, LGU and DepEd. The cascading strategy for training—conducted by e-IMPACT
champions from the Division and Regional Offices using DepEd facilities as venues—brought down considerably
the seemingly prohibitive costs. However, expansion schools still struggled to meet the 1:1 pupil to module ratio
in all subject areas. In other Division Offices, scarce resources constrained replication. At the national level, the
DepEd Central Office issued DO #53, series of 2011 entitled Guidelines for the Utilization of Funds for Alternative
Delivery Modes in Formal Basic Education to support the implementation of ADMs. A total of PhP 72.3 million
was allotted for adoption of e-IMPACT in 19 schools for an average cost of PhP 3.8 million per school.

(See Exhibit V for further details on Sustainability of ADMs.)

5. CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS,
LESSONS LEARNED
This chapter provides a summary of the main conclusions, recommendations and lessons learned from the
evaluation.

5.1 Conclusions

The pilot experience of ADMs as supported by UNICEF contributed positively to improving educational outcomes,
especially in raising the mastery level and achievement test scores of children. Improvements in these areas were
robust. However, in terms of reducing dropout and repetition rates, the improvements were not as significant.
Nonetheless, the ADMs enriched the efforts of BESRA in introducing innovations to make the teaching-learning
environment more varied and stimulating, provide opportunities for children’s active participation, and enhance
parent/community engagement in education initiatives. The innovative strategies indeed helped address the
needs and priorities of the Philippine education sector, UN priority directions, and priorities of other development
and donor agencies working for the country.

The self-instructional materials continue to be in use in MISOSA schools as supplement to available learning
materials and textbooks. The SIMs have proven to be effective solutions to the lack of teachers and classrooms,
and difficulty of children to attend classes regularly because of poverty. The loose binding of the SIMs allowed
for their easy reproduction which encouraged in-school and inter-school sharing.

e-IMPACT addressed the needs of children in difficult circumstances. Tutoring by family members, peers,
neighbours, other community members, and generous individuals supplemented the modular learning. When
pupils could not go to school, self-study was the alternative. Upon their return to school, they took the mastery
test and resumed attending regular classes. e-IMPACT provided them these. The programmed teaching method,

47
for one, was observed to improve children’s leadership and communication skills as this actively engaged them
in the teaching-learning process as peer group leader or ‘little teacher’.

Frontline education practitioners regard MISOSA and e-IMPACT as key approaches to enriching the delivery of
basic education in disadvantaged settings. This is evidenced in their enthusiastic efforts to replicate the ADMs
in other areas. The ADMs offered learners a new opportunity to finish schooling at their own pace and time
through the use of the SIMs. This too proved to be a practical intervention in addressing the perennial problem of
overcrowding in public schools and lack of teachers, classrooms and learning materials. Adoption of these ADMs
could prove beneficial to the more than 8,000 overcrowded public schools in the country.

As discussed, ADMs do not need additional classrooms and teachers to improve access to quality formal
schooling. ADMs also promote peer and self/independent learning without the regular face-to-face interaction
with teachers as with the traditional approach. ADMs are ‘pull’ systems designed to provide students flexibility
so that they stay in school despite of their difficult and vulnerable circumstances. This way, the phenomenon of
students being ‘pushed’ out from the system is minimized and allow them safety nets from dropping out.

ADMs such as MISOSA and e-IMPACT provide a venue for a varied teaching- learning environment where
child-to-child learning, peer teaching, facilitative learning, parent teaching and learning, and teacher-to-student
learning can happen. Given the opportunity to handle a class or actively participate in group discussions, children
are encouraged to strive harder, thus becoming more mature partners in the learning process. This way, the
development assets profile (DAP) of children is increased, giving them more opportunity to be successful members
of society.

Despite the ADMs’ obvious merits, DepEd still does face challenges in mainstreaming the innovations into the
Philippine education system. However, DepEd can learn valuable lessons from this evaluation of the ADMs’
piloting. UNICEF too can pick up a few lessons to inform its programming for children.

Insufficiency of local resources was a stumbling block to the sustainability of MISOSA. For one, schools found it
difficult to source funds to pay for the allowances of para-teachers. Despite UNICEF’s strong advocacy with the
LGUs to support CFM initiatives, schools still had the principal responsibility to implement the ADM.

Pilot implementation of MISOSA and provision of SIMs by grade level was seen as a piecemeal, fractional and
disjointed approach as opposed to a whole systems approach that could have aimed for a diversity of results .
Support to MISOSA in pilot schools was more of quantity (more schools covered but with incomplete modules)
than quality (fewer schools covered but with complete modules). It was also more of breadth (wider coverage
of CPC 6 support but lesser inputs) than depth (adequate inputs but narrower coverage). On the other hand,
e-IMPACT, while proven more effective, entailed an initial high cost of implementation, especially because of its
‘enhanced’ strategy infusing multimedia components to its original system.

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These issues and challenges are addressed in the recommendations that follow in discussions below.

5.2 Recommendations

A. On MISOSA

Recommendation 1: In expanding the implementation of MISOSA in the Philippines, DepEd should consider
developing sustainable approaches for its continued implementation. The ‘off-school’
approach was proven not feasible and was in fact never implemented in the real sense
of a venue outside school premises.

The involvement of a para-teacher, though short-lived, provided concrete emphasis on the social process of
education, whereby the children were introduced to participation in social life. This opened the avenue for
education to aim not only at individual development but also at social relevance in which a significant person
in the community is able to join freely and fully meet common goals of the school. Current context however
do not support this since the deployment of para-teacher was discontinued already and therefore taken as not
sustainable.

MISOSA was well regarded as an intervention to address congestion and lack of teachers but the responsibility
to provide volunteer teachers and alternative venues for ‘off-school’ cannot be left alone to schools and their
stakeholders, especially in poor communities. The utilization of para-teachers or volunteer teachers was not
sustainable mainly because of the following: (i) short-lived support of stakeholders to provide allowance to para-
teachers; (ii) unclear Division guideline or policy as to the utilization of ‘volunteer teachers’; and (iii) refusal of
some parents for volunteer teachers to teach their children. On the other hand, the ‘off-school’ venues were
not in fact ‘off-school’ as they were still located within school premises though outside the regular classrooms.
Venues outside school premises such as barangay halls were never practiced.

Should DepEd adopt and mainstream MISOSA as an alternative mode, it will be necessary to address the above
issues and develop a new brand name suitable to its concept such as ‘In-Off Classroom Approach’.

Recommendation 2: The use of self-instructional materials/modules can be considered an alternative delivery

in itself even in the absence of an ‘off-school’ scheme. DepEd can focus therefore on
enhancing module-based service delivery to strengthen the principle of multiple entries
and exits in the education system.

MISOSA SIMs ensured continuity of education and was therefore a vital intervention in addressing problems of
dropout and low participation caused by harsh geographic conditions, child labour, and poverty. The principle of
SIMs is to extend formal education to the home setting. Through the SIMs, children are given further opportunities
to express themselves and expand their knowledge even outside the classroom. The modules themselves are
effective interventions in addressing the high dropout rate among students who have to take extended absences
due to sickness or farm duties.

While not meant to replace textbooks or be the be-all answer to the lack of teachers and classrooms, SIMs/
modules can help maximize available school resources. For instance, the lack of classrooms can be compensated
by wide school grounds with shades. It is interesting to note that children have a strong liking for alternative

49
shaded spaces as these are close to their nature. Children enjoy freedom of movement and the joy of discovery.
Making available to them this environment is essential in taking education beyond the regular classroom or formal
school setting.

Recommendation 3: MISOSA should be introduced to the entire school (covering Grades 4 to 6) with
adequate resource inputs rather than implementing it on a piecemeal or fragmented
manner covering more schools but with inadequate resources. UNICEF can consider
supporting DepEd’s strategy on the distribution of educational inputs to balance
quantity/breadth and quality/depth of support.

Based on this evaluation, MISOSA treatment schools scored better on overall effectiveness compared with
control schools despite the fact that the piloting was made on a piecemeal basis or by grade level. A holistic
approach to MISOSA should be considered to cover Grades 4 to 6 with an ensured 1:1 pupil:module ratio. Had
UNICEF opted to support this holistic approach, MISOSA SIMs could have made a significant difference and a
more coherent research output could have been extracted. Even if the individual grade levels are performing well,
the school as a whole may not necessarily be performing equally well. Whole-system design means optimizing
not just parts or individual grade levels but the entire system, in this case Grades 4 to 6 of target schools.

B. On e-IMPACT

Recommendation 4: Cost reduction measures for the implementation of e-IMPACT without sacrificing its
quality and effectiveness must be taken into account especially during the preparatory
stages of capacity building and provision of education inputs.

Financial support from outside of government proved more valuable in the improvement of the learning environment
for e-IMPACT. For cost efficiency, the following recommendations may be considered:

Instructional materials. As far as instructional design, mass reproduction of instructional materials can be made
more cost effective with the use of acceptable grades of newsprint in reels and running on offset machines
instead of the P0.75 or even P1.00 cost of photocopying per one-side page print. The consolidation of actual
requirements at the central level will drive costs even lower and of better quality as in textbook production,
taking advantage of economies of scale. Even if cost of delivery is factored in, the savings will be substantial.
A standard cover stock of 180 gsm paper can help lengthen the life of said materials against the typical wear
and tear with children. There may, however, be the issue of proprietary material with SEAMEO INNOTECH but
since the materials are photocopied anyway, the standard materials may might as well be ‘sold’ at more efficient
prices.

Training requirements. National standards may be set in respect to the kind of pre-service training neede and for
this matter, in-service training may be adapted for would-be e-IMPACT implementers. The quality, cost-efficiency
and levels of customization to adapt to local context may need to be conceptualized and standardized.

Training of e-IMPACT implementers if centrally done, i.e. sending teachers and school heads to SEAMEO
INNOTECH, is quite expensive. The evaluation therefore strongly recommends to DepEd to invest more on
training of trainors at the division level where trainors will also perform quality assurance functions while the
main modality of training teachers and school heads will be through observation visits or immersion in schools

50
that have effectively implemented ADMs. The provinces of North Cotabato and Eastern Samar can offer good
models for this.

Strengthening of INSET programs in general should not be limited to curriculum content (what to teach) but also
strategy for learner-centered approaches (how to teach and how to adopt innovations), addressing the needs
of disadvantaged children. On the other hand, enhancement of pre-service curriculum should also be initiated to
include adoption of innovations in difficult situations.

Continuing development of teachers. Initial capacity building for teachers already cost a lot as shown by the
estimates provided to the researchers. Continuing development of teachers needs to be undertaken to keep them
abreast with the latest technology and align them with new standards that may be issued from time to time by
DepEd. Division offices may need to identify champions within their ranks or at the regional or national levels
to act as trainers for continuous teacher education. However, DepEd is a dynamic organization with constant
movement of human resources resulting from career promotions, resignations, retirement and separations. To
ensure continuity of service and transfer of skills in the ADMs, DepEd support staff (education supervisors) at
the Division level may need to undergo periodic orientation on the programmes. A staff can be put in charge of
continuing teacher education. Conducting orientations on e-IMPACT and other ADMs/innovations can be part
of the job description of this ES position.

C. ADMs in general

Recommendation 5: The two-year delay on the provision of vital inputs, such as modules, in the piloting
of the ADMs should provide lessons to DepEd. Before rolling out any initial advocacy
and capacity building, the essential inputs should be ensured and monitored properly
in the right quantity, with proper quality, and at the exact time they are needed in the
pilot implementation process. UNICEF should learn also from this experience for its
future programming and has to establish measures or policy conditions for extending or
retracting support within an agreed timeline.

Delays were noted in the delivery of modules for both e-IMPACT and MISOSA to some schools. Some were
also reported to be missing. Initial activities were planned for 2006 but delivery of materials was only done in
2008. Delays in months might have been acceptable to some extent if due to technical lapses but a two-year
delay was a big setback in piloting the innovations. In some cases too, MISOSA schools experienced receiving
modules not meant for them. For e-IMPACT, reported missing were some modules and so-called ‘big books’ that
served as reference to the modules. Also alleged to be missing were compact discs that should have come with
the modules.

DepEd should be able to draw lessons from the foregoing as this has great impact on frontline project
implementation.

Recommendation 6: Implementation of ADMs should be integrated with other innovations and initiatives
of DepEd to ensure that a holistic intervention is provided to pupils in disadvantaged
schools. Any future ADM programming by DepEd must always ensure linkage with
other innovations and initiatives as well as best practices in education service delivery.

The MISOSA and e-IMPACT modules are not stand-alone interventions but rather should be integrated with the
various innovations and education initiatives—albeit not fully utilized, maximized or appreciated at the school

51
level—that have already been introduced within the DepEd system. In mainstreaming MISOSA, it will always be
important to provide re-orientation and deepening on the use of Student Tracking System (STS), analysis of NAT
results, application of Phil-IRI for reading diagnosis of learners, and operationalization of school improvement
plans (SIPs). MISOSA and e-IMAPCT should be contextualized on the systematic analysis of the needs of learners
by year level. This will further feed to SIPs or classroom improvement plans which will have distinct characteristic
and become more relevant to stakeholders rather than merely filling up the universal template which becomes
common to all.

Furthermore, MISOSA may integrate the e-IMPACT modes of facilitating learning such as the peer group learning,
tutorial and self-study to strengthen its method of delivery. A simplified version of e-IMPACT modes of delivery
may be adopted in MISOSA once it is re-conceptualized to facilitate learning on a modified ‘in/off’ classroom
approach. MISOSA can replicate the most practical and effective approaches such as peer group learning and
program teaching which are simplified versions of DepEd’s ‘big brothers/big sisters’ best practice approach.

Recommendation 7: Broadening of teacher training programs, both pre- and in-service, to include not only
the standards of conventional public education system but also the wider orientation on
education alternatives or flexible learning options to address the needs of disadvantaged
children.

With reference to Finding 2 on alignment of ADMs with the Child-Friendly Movement and Findings 4 to 8 on
positive results on Education Performance and DAP Survey, UNICEF can assist DepEd explore the enhancement
of its policies on the inclusion and prioritization of education alternatives in their in-service programs. UNICEF
can further assist on inter-agency coordination and dialogue with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)
and other development partners to include education alternatives on the curriculum of teaching institutes as a
means to ensure child-centred and rights-based approach in the pre-service education programmes. Alternative
education inputs require familiarity of approach and deeper knowledge of and attitude to child-centred approaches.
In a situation where there are lack of conventional resources like classrooms, textbooks and teachers, alternative
management of the learning environment, more than just ‘managing’ the classroom, plays a vital role. Indeed, a
highly neglected area in training that needs urgent attention is that on child-centred innovations for disadvantaged
or poor schools. In pre- and in-service trainings on public schools, teachers are backed by an entire system of
demands, inducements, measuring tools, and packages of knowledge: testing, grades, standards, curriculum
units, textbooks, psychological and medical labels, and much more. This has to be transcended now to respond
to each learning situation in its immediate presence. Teachers have to be prepared and trained not just according
to a fixed model meant to apply to all individuals in all learning situations. They should also be able to respond
to any particular learner, in a particular setting, in a particular culture, and at a particular point in historical time.

Recommendation 8: DepEd can consider increasing investments in supplementary instructional materials

such as ADM modules that enable teachers and children to engage in various teaching-
learning activities.

The supplementary ADM modules were proven effective and economical to schools in enhancing flexible learning
that is adaptable to many different learning environments. A typical ADM module was observed to prompt,
question, and encourage the content of the material. The main difference observed between textbooks and ADM
modules was that textbooks assume interest while self-instructional material arouses interest. Moreover, the
ADM modules encourage private and self-paced learning rather than group pace, which can be too fast or too
slow. Moreover, the ADM modules can be made available at any time and at any place where learners can learn
whenever they wish to learn rather than according to an external timetable and within formal classrooms. While

52
it can engage various teaching-learning activities, the ADMs have a standardized content aligned with public
education curriculum to ensure learners receive the same teaching.

Recommendation 9: Education outcomes have to be assessed on both cognitive and psycho-social

dimensions. Student assessment/testing has to be anchored upon the use of a wide
variety of assessment strategies to cover a comprehensive picture of a pupil’s progress
on values which will enable him/her to investigate, communicate and participate
effectively and which will make him/her better citizens in their community. DepEd has
to institutionalize a holistic perspective on student assessment.

MIMOSA and e-IMPACT Modules have both built in learner-centred diagnostic assessment which involves pupils
assessing themselves. Since SIMs are self-paced learning, some particular activities or topics will inspire excellent
performance in some students, while others may get frustrated. Similarly, it is important also to include a variety
of types of assessments that will ensure that students are provided with ample opportunities to demonstrate
their abilities and that teachers can extract information they need to construct a complete, balanced assessment
of each student. The self-assessment can be further strengthened by incorporating other classroom-based and
non-standardized assessment strategies done on a more informal manner. These may include group or individual
projects, experiments, oral presentations, demonstrations, or performances. Some informal assessments may
be drawn from typical classroom activities such as assignments, journals, essays, reports, literature discussion
groups, reading logs, rubrics, portfolio assessments, peer and discussion.

Meanwhile, DepEd senior management vision and support must be oriented towards the achievement of the real
ultimate goal in education, which is the formation of a good citizen. The aim of education is to allow the child to
grow according to his natural capabilities. There is no external model. The individual child is the centre. The child
is to evolve naturally. Elementary education therefore has to develop both the mental and psychological nature of
the child so that he will mature as a person and contribute to the good of the community. Given this context, child
formation should be assessed on both cognitive and psycho-social dimensions. The DAP tool is one of the many
instruments that can assess a child or a group of children in terms of social asset acquisition towards becoming a
responsible citizen. DAP results point to constructive use of time as the least developed asset and this calls for
putting equal emphasis on the mental, physical and psycho-social aspects of the children.

Recommendation 10: The ADMs can be prioritized to schools in difficult settings such as those that are
congested, those implementing a multigrade scheme, those affected by disasters
or conflict, and those with high incidence of child labour to provide access to and
enhance the quality of a complete elementary education. Identification of beneficiaries
must be anchored on the principle of inclusive education and equitable distribution
of resources. UNICEF may want to consider also developing its own school network/
mapping analysis on its CPC covered provinces to objectively identify school target
beneficiaries for validation by the Division Offices rather than just relying on the latter
in the prioritization of schools to be assisted.

The ADMs have been replicated through local initiatives in schools implementing a multigrade scheme. As
observed, these schools are also usually the ones going through a difficult situation experiencing a shortage of
teachers and textbooks, using makeshift classrooms, lacking classroom furniture, etc. This study is also witness
to the valiant efforts at the school level of supervisors, school heads and teachers trying their best to extend
the ADMs to multigrade schools since the self-instructional materials and their various techniques of facilitating
learning could also enhance the multigrade scheme.

53
The principle of equitable distribution of resources must be applied but must too be anchored on clear parameters
and expectations among UNICEF, DepEd Central Office, and DepEd regional and division offices. For instance,
there are schools that are not accessible by vehicles, even unsafe for ‘external visitors’ such as conflict-affected
zones, and this requires constant monitoring. In view of the EFA and MDG Goal on Universal Primary Education,
DepEd may consider expansion of ADMs while UNICEF may direct its support to newly established primary
schools or those that are under the multigrade or cluster-school system. These schools are the neediest in terms
of accessibility and quality of education and are located in remote areas. These schools, sometimes branded as
‘punishment posts’, may not have big numbers of students but but they too must be given attention with respect
to the principle of equitable distribution embraced by UNICEF.

Recommendation 11: While there were issues and challenges noted in the piloting of ADMs, UNICEF may
want to consider providing technical assistance to DepEd in revisiting the positive
results as indicated in the findings of the evaluation and conduct an in-depth review
of DepEd’s time-honoured and customary policies and practices with an end view of
accepting new paradigms and innovations on the following:

i) Expansion of investments from traditional to alternative inputs in

disadvantaged schools

With reference to Findings 4 to 8 on positive results on effectiveness, Finding 9 on high cost-benefit ratio, Finding
11 on effective modularized approach, and Finding 12 on the all-embracing extent of replication of MISOSA on
ground level, UNICEF should assist DepEd in re-thinking its policy on meeting the standards of traditional inputs
of primary education, such as the pupil-textbook ratio of 1:1, pupil-classroom of 1:35, teacher ratio of 1:45,
adequate classroom furniture (desks, armchair, blackboards, etc.), and the like. It has become a customary policy
and practice of DepEd on a yearly basis to assess the gaps and negotiate for the budgetary requirements to
enhance access and ensure quality education. Given the growth rate and trending of expenditure share in the
education sector, the lack of classrooms, teacher items, textbooks, classroom furniture become a major perennial
issue and a reason for poor access and quality education especially in disadvantaged areas. The pilot experience,
however, was able to demonstrate that key alternative inputs can enhance access and ensure quality education
even with the lack or absence of such conventional inputs. Alternative inputs that are less costly but can deliver
quality teaching and learning when properly utilized are the following: (a) self-instructional materials instead of
just the textbooks; (b) kiosks/sheds for small group learning instead of standard classrooms alone; (c) support
system for volunteers instead of running after teacher items; and (d) non-academic learning environment instead
of non-instructional buildings (principal’s office, teachers room, stock room, etc.). Policy concerns as to what
alternative inputs are most sensible to invest in have to consider the needs of disadvantaged schools that do
not necessarily have construct new classrooms and other facilities because children in their locale cannot attend
school regularly because they live far away, are poor, and/or have to work to help their families.

ii) Flexibility of policies on pupil attendance and absenteeism to become more

inclusive

Finding 4 on positive results in reducing the dropout rate as reinforced by Exhibit 2 on field observations provides
an avenue to enhance policy to govern absences of students under certain exceptional circumstances like
calamities, armed conflict, extreme poverty (that push them to work for survival), sickness, remoteness of abode,
and the like. Instead of labelling these children as dropouts or repeaters, DepEd can explore the idea of shifting
them to a modularized system of education. Under a modularized system, they cannot be branded as repeaters
or dropouts. This in itself calls for a re-thinking of the indicators being tracked by DepEd.

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 iii) Enhancement of education support system for implementing innovations

Findings 10, 11 and 12 on the drawback aspects of the pilot implementation of ADMs calls for strengthening of
the support system for implementing innovations. Many innovations have been piloted from PRODED , TEEP,
SEDIP, and the ADMs. It is high time to institutionalize best practices and institutionalize support mechanisms
to focus on what school staff can do differently, such as changing strategies, adjusting the environment, and
altering expectations in response to the needs of students and their families that vary from school to school.
Examples of practices that can complement ADM innovations are the Modularized Instructional Support, various
school feeding program models, homework support, remedial reading and math, mentoring programs, and many
others. The support system may explore shifting the critical question in education from asking “What’s wrong
with the pupils?” to asking “What available resources can be used to increase the chances of pupils for success
in finishing basic education?”

Recommendation 12: Although UNICEF gives much attention to assessing the technical aspects of the ADMs
in the planning and design stages, more attention must be given in assessing the ability
of frontline DepEd staff to manage and implement innovations.

UNICEF must be able to assess the appropriateness of management strategies in terms of the level of innovation the
project requires, degree of uncertainty in the environment, and the cultural values of participants. A contingency
approach to planning that analyzes requirements of projects at the field and management capacity of DepEd can
reduce the gaps that lead to problems of implementation.

Recommendation 13: UNICEF must further provide technical assistance to DepEd and set up accountability
measures for its future programming in ensuring that Recommendations 1 to 12 are
addressed, given priority and/or institutionalized to gain optimum impact of ADMs to
disadvantaged children.

UNICEF should continue providing technical and ADM-resources support with a demonstrated accountability on
the prospective implementation design of ADMs. UNICEF accountability can be managed by having: (i) a clear
and agreed understanding with DepEd on how to implement ADMs and (ii) pronouncement of expectations to
produce assigned tasks within a given time. Furthermore, mechanisms are needed to be in place in UNICEF to
ensure that the most disadvantaged and marginalized schools are the ones really targeted.

5.3 Lessons learned

This section identifies lessons from this evaluation of ADMs piloted in the Philippines that may be of benefit to
programming for children notably among DepEd policy planners, UNICEF and other development partners.

There will be no dropouts for as long as the learners are in contact with the
school and are using ADMs.

As an alternative delivery mode of education beyond formal schooling, MISOSA and e-IMPACT provide an avenue
to revisit the concept of ‘dropout’. Dropouts are those who do not finish any of the three levels of the education
ladder for one reason or another. However, the concept of elementary education has always been a preparation
for secondary school and secondary school education as preparation for college studies. Those who do not reach
secondary school or college level are not prepared for life in society. It may be reasonable to replace the concept

55
and practice that each educational level is a preparation for another. Each level must have the fundamental
background necessary for the full participation of any citizen in the development of the community or society.
Education does not simply prepare the learners for another school level but provides real education where the
content is in a constant dialectical relation with the needs of the community or country at large. The student
who finishes the first or second level will not be a ‘dropout’. After finishing a level of instruction, the learners can
integrate themselves in the concerted effort of transforming our society.

Individuality of learners is an essential emphasis on education to enable the

natural and free development of children within their physical, intellectual and
physical capacities.

The ADMs have brought out the individuality of pupils and provided room for diversity. Individuality becomes
an essential component to education with alternative modes such as MISOSA and e-IMPACT. Due to heredity
and family backgrounds, pupils are different physically, intellectually and emotionally. In the case of the least
privileged children, ADM schools do not impose uniformity and generalization since individuality is given emphasis.
These children are not compelled to finish elementary in six years; they can finish it at their own pace and time
depending on their capacity to do so. Through ADMs, the school merely furnishes the situation for the unfolding
of the children’s nature. The teachers simply guide the individual learner to help himself/herself.

Not the acquisition of knowledge or skill is the main object of public elementary
education, but the development and strengthening of their power to help
themselves.

The concept of ‘quality education’ is oftentimes obscured. Education is mistakenly equated with NAT Scores,
high grades and academic honours. With this, parents and schools carry the attitude that “their child or school
is better than their neighbour’s”. This leads to unhealthy implementation of NAT examinations as many times
observed in the country. Parameters of quality education have to be revisited and advocated clearly so as not to
simply equate this with academic excellence.

Any pilot innovation on education is best anchored on a ‘whole-school’

approach for sustainable development to be integrated throughout the formal
sector on a holistic manner rather than being tried out on a stand-alone basis.

Despite widespread support for this approach to education at national and international levels, there are relatively
few concrete examples of schools in which this approach has been systematically implemented. A more common
trend appears to be partial implementation of just a few aspects of experiential learning units. While these
approaches provide useful learning opportunities for students, they fall well short of achieving the objective of
a ‘whole-school’ approach to education. MISOSA indeed was piloted on a stand-alone by-individual grade level
basis rather than a system-wide or school-wide approach to implementation.

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 Exhibits on the
Evaluation Study for Alternative Delivery Modes:
MISOSA and e-IMPACT

Exhibit 1
Level of Child Friendliness Based on CFS Checklist

Exhibit 2
Field Observations and Survey Results on Relevance in Conformity with CFS Goals

Exhibit 3
Education Performance and DAP Survey Results

Exhibit 4
Cost Benefit Analysis on ADMs

Exhibit 5
General Observations on Sustainability of ADMs

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Exhibit 1: Level of Child Friendliness Based on CFS Self-Assessment
Checklist

A. MISOSA

Table 1: Level of CFS-ness of MISOSA Schools

No. Province/City School Level of CFS-ness

1. Mountain Province Puya-ao ES Established

2. Otucan ES Established

3. Northern Samar Nenita Central School Established

4. Eastern Samar Eugenio S. Daza ES Established

5. Davao City Magallanes Central ES Established

6. Buhangin ES Established

7. Sarangani Rudes ES Established

8. Kiamba Central ES Established

B. e-IMPACT

Table 2: Level of CFS-ness of e-IMPACT Schools

No. Province/City School Level of CFS-ness

1. Masbate M.R Espinosa ES Established

2. Northern Samar Libas ES Established

3. Eastern Samar ESDPS (Eugenio S. Daza Pilot)ES Established

4. Zamboanga City Culianan ES Established

5. Maasin Learning Center ES Established

6. Zamboanga Sur Caridad Multigrade School Established

7. Villasis Multigrade School

8. North Cotabato Nabundasan ES Established

9. Limatong ES Established

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Exhibit 2. Field Observations and Survey Results on Relevance in
Conformity with CFS Goals

This section presents the gathered observations and survey results in the field to provide inferences on the
relevance of MISOSA and e-IMPACT.

A. MISOSA

The following are the major observations gathered based on actual visits, interviews and FGDs with various
education stakeholders:

1. General Observations

i) Children in Schools with Congested Classes

Giving education the highest priority does not secure its sufficient budget provision when the demand grows
disproportionately with available resources. The Philippine economy has not significantly grown in proportion
to the increase in student population and the ever-growing needs of the education system. Thus, public school
systems will always face the perennial problem of congestion due to the lack of classrooms and teachers.

Ideally, classrooms should be arranged to promote efficient learning and minimize behavioural problems. Learners
must be able to see and hear instruction and have efficient access to learning materials. The teacher should be
able to easily monitor learners and provide feedback. The classroom should also be flexible to allow for different
types of learning activities to make the classroom a positive and effective learning environment. Congested
classrooms, therefore, are not conducive to learning.

The evaluation noted that the nine MISOSA school adaptors were congested when they were first selected for
piloting, with class sizes ranging from 50 to 85 learners. The problem of classroom shortage is more heightened
and predominant in pilot schools in the urban areas such as Magallanes, Buhangin and Porras ESs in Davao
City. The control school in Monteverde ES is also of similar context with the average number of pupils in a
class at around 75. Congestion in the Mountain Province was not so prevalent, although some classes did not
hit the class size standard of 1:42 yet. Others were even below 30 with an average pupil-teacher ratio of 1:25.
The nature of congestion in the Mountain Province is dispersed and fluctuating depending on the in-migration
movement of village families. Congestion was a problem in Sarangani with a 1:50 pupil-teacher ratio, but not that
worse compared with schools in the urban setting.

Intervention. The intention to pilot MISOSA was partly to decongest the classes by pulling out half of the class
(e.g., 30 pupils) who will be under the care of a para-teacher from Mondays through Thursdays. During Fridays,
they will be re-grouped as one by the regular teacher and undergo evaluation. Off-School classes may be held
anywhere but must be within school reach. The 11 treatment MISOSA pilot schools tried implementing the Off-
School Approach1 though implementation only lasted for a maximum period of 2 years in most schools. The para-
teachers hired were usually education graduates who were waiting for the results of their board examinations or

1
Details of actual implementation “Off-School” Approach can be seen on the case study of Puya-ao Elementary School. See Volume III.

59
board passers waiting for a regular item. The orientation of para-teachers by regular teachers and the school heads
posed no difficulty as they were education graduates. During the implementation of the Off-School Approach,
congestion was indeed addressed but the continued support to the hiring of para-teachers was a major hindrance.
Since half of the congested class was assigned alternately to para-teachers, the quality of learning had improved
owing to a more focused handling of pupils. Alternative learning venues like kiosks and school stages, which
were actually within school premises, were said to be not viable places for Off-School classes especially during
rainy season.

It should be noted, however, that it is only in Rudes ES in Sarangani that the team observed the presence of a
para-Teacher. Contrary to the experience of the rest, it is only now that they have availed of the services of a
para-Teacher, since the early implementation of Off-School classes was handled by floating/regular teachers2.
The para-teacher, however, expressed no intention to staying long and is just getting credit and experience while
waiting for the result of her licensure examination test.

The importance of the Off-School Approach depended highly on the presence of para-teachers to assist in
decongesting large class sizes. Although it was short-lived among the pilot schools, its significance in addressing
congestion, and thereby providing a quality learning environment, during the time it was implemented was highly
recognizable. The problem of congestion in said schools was addressed ultimately by other main interventions,
namely: i) completion of incomplete schools3 and ii) implementation of the 2-shift scheme for schools in urban
settings.

ii) Children in schools with inadequate textbooks and supplementary materials

It is commonly documented in FGDs that the lack of textbooks and supplementary materials was a major hindrance
to learning. A pupil would ideally need five textbooks for all his/her subjects in school. This shortage was mostly
felt in far-flung and disaster-prone areas in the country, where the threat of heavy rains and flooding on the safety
of textbooks and learning materials had been so frequent. Nenita Central School for example lost all its textbooks
and learning materials due to flooding.

On the other hand, parents reported that during homeroom meetings, class advisers would tell them that if
textbooks are lacking for the class, students must share their use. This means that no one is allowed to take
them home. Parents say that without textbooks at home, they cannot help with homework or help their children
catch up when they are out sick.

Intervention. Given this context, MISOSA was seen as an important intervention in the absence or lack of
textbooks. The teachers examine the competencies covered by MISOSA in the RBEC and utilize the modules
to enhance the mastery of such competencies. In cases where the SIMs/Modules did not address certain
competencies, as not all competencies were covered by the modules, the teachers utilize whatever available
textbooks or supplementary materials they have. The design of MISOSA SIMS was very much user-friendly to
the teachers to the extent that the objectives were clearly identified and are easily matched with the PELC. In
the absence of textbooks, the SIMs served as the reference and workbook for children as they were completely
guided from the objective to the specific activities that they have to undertake. This way, the SIMs/Modules
addressed the problem on the absence of workbooks and lack of textbooks. Just like textbooks, SIMs/Modules

2
A Floating Teacher as explained is a regular teacher who does not have class advisory and therefore teaches at various grade level and usually serves as reliever in
case other teachers are absent.
3
Completion of incomplete schools has ultimately solved congestion because the school accommodating incomplete schools will no longer be catering to them.
Complete schools catering to 3 to 5 incomplete schools which are even beyond their jurisdiction, usually are the ones experiencing congestion.

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could be shared by three pupils. The advantage of the former, however, was that since the subject was taught by
skill level, children can utilize other SIMs and exchange among them whenever there was a lack of it. The SIMs
could still be brought home and then exchanged with other pupils mastering other skills. Hence, SIMs had served
as an alternative means of delivering effective teaching and learning other than the conventional use of textbooks
where there is a lack or absence of it in some schools.

With the assistance of the PTA, Nenita Central School was able to photocopy some modules to maintain a
complete set. In fact, the school has a project now for out-of-school youth (OSY) who want to get back to
primary grade. The PTA built a kiosk for Saturday classes and has been making use of MISOSA modules in pulling
back OSYs to school.

The MISOSA schools in Mountain Province, Northern Samar, Davao City and Sarangani actually expanded the
use of SIMs to some of their feeder schools which have become newly completed schools. As former incomplete
schools, schools are usually beset by the shortage of textbooks, learning materials and school facilities. It
was further noted that the newly established complete schools4 usually start with a multi-grade system where
MISOSA SIMs/Modules were proven effective tools for sharing among pupils in Grades 4 to 6.

In the case of Mountain Province, the newly established complete schools as well as the cluster schools in far-
flung areas lack textbooks and supplementary materials. The pilot schools have extended the modules to them
knowing that these schools will benefit a lot. As per an interview with Education Supervisors, they intend to
provide MISOSA SIMs to schools under the multi-grade system catering to grades 4-6. The education specialists
said they are convinced of the practical use of MISOSA SIMs on a multi-grade teaching condition.

User-friendly SIMs/Modules provided much inspiration to children especially when they discovered that they can
learn. Since the modules were sometimes brought home, the follow-through activity of learning basic skills are
enhanced and habitually re-mastered. Parents and older siblings also benefited from the SIMs/Modules since they
too were learning and were given the opportunity to teach and supervise the learners.

iii). Child Labor and Children in Conflict-Affected Areas

Parents and LGU stakeholders interviewed for both control and treatment schools expressed that child labor is
still observable within their respective impoverished communities, where children still toil in quarries, mines,
factories, farming and fishing fields, and service enterprises. On the other hand, some children from indigenous
families have to help parents in farming and household chores. Access to transportation is also considered to be
a significant deterrent to access to education by those underprivileged groups who have to cross rivers or climb
mountains regularly. Furthermore, security is another hindrance particularly for children within the territory of
armed groups as they are targets for military training by rebel groups, either from NPA or MILF insurgents.

Learners who combined work with school were likely to drop out as labor interferes with their learning. Some
children from very poor families often work to help meet immediate family survival needs. Parents may find no
use in sending their children to school when they could be home learning a skill and earning (e.g., agriculture,
fishing) to supplement family income. Sometimes, it was shared that children are exploited and asked to work for
long hours for minimal pay. Their work conditions could be severe, often not providing the stimulation for proper
physical and mental development. Many of these children endure lives of pure deprivation.

4
In mountain province there are newly completed schools under multi-grade system. These schools are usually managed by two MG Teachers: one for primary and
another one of intermediate. It was noted that MISOSA SIMs were effectively used by Grades 4-6 Multi-Grade pupils.

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Despite the on-going peace process in the country, armed conflict still perpetuates in the country. However,
the education sector continued to somewhat function and deliver services as per DepEd's commitment to the
Education for All campaign. Schools can be targeted during conflict because of their high profile. In rural areas,
the school building may be the only substantial permanent structure. Schools may be subjected to burning
of classrooms, looting of solar panels and audio-visual materials, or forced closure as in the case of Mountain
Province, Eastern Samar, and North Cotabato, respectively. In Sarangani, one cause of absenteeism, which can
lead to dropping out by some male students, is the forced recruitment and training of young Muslim students
in the MILF training camps. In North Cotabato, it was shared that at 10 years of age, some boys have already
begun with their training. In some instances, this is done by recruitment while in other circumstances it is made
a requirement.

In the remote riverine municipalities of Northern and Eastern Samar, children are recruited by the NPA at a young
age. Resources of schools are many times looted and used by the rebels instead. Once an area is declared as
their stronghold, any project has to pass through them for clearance and corresponding revolutionary taxes. In
the Mountain Province, political conflicts still remain a potential threat. The control school in Saclit ES was once
a stronghold of rebels and was inaccessible by any external person. It is only now that it has opened its doors
to the public. The FGD with stakeholders meted reasons why schools were targeted: i) They provide the perfect
site for military operations because of their geographical location and their infrastructure; ii) They are centrally
located in rural areas and are seen as the site for mass activities. Schools are places where everyone goes to,
and reaching the masses was easiest for the rebels from the school grounds; iii) They are government structures
that could easily be targeted; and iv) Children are so readily available and cheap to use as child soldiers or spies.

Intervention. The MISOSA SIMs was observed to be significant intervention to provide education to disadvantaged
communities where low participation, high absenteeism, high dropout, and low completion rates are prevalent.
Child labor is associated with Students-At-Risk-of-Dropping-Out (SARDOs) in one way or the other. Based on STS
data, the general context of poverty and their plight to escape from it leads to child labor which is not necessarily
compensated, such as attending to siblings, helping parents in the field or fishing ground, doing household
chores, etc.

The use of SIMs helped in saving SARDOs who first manifest absenteeism before eventually dropping out. The
SIMs/Modules maintained contact between the SARDOs and the school. In cases where child labor could not be
avoided, the children were at least saved from being separated from the school and branded as dropouts. The
class adviser usually discusses the situation with the parents involved to come up with a schedule for school
visits to evaluate lessons learned and provide other modules as the child progresses. The class adviser conducts
the following vital activities: i) Facilitate an assessment based on the mastered module; ii) Provide enhancement;
iii) Retrieve the mastered module; iv) Provide further instructions and assignments covered by the new modules;
and v) Provide counselling to motivate the child to continue studying with the use of the modules. Through these
practical activities, working or absentee children were given confidence to go back to school even though they
were absent for a number of days. The modules gave them an alternative to address their immediate survival
needs and finish their primary education.

For conflict-affected areas, teachers say the SIMs/Modules were important materials for emergency education in
declared peace-zones. This provided an opportunity to continue education beyond the formal setting of schools.
Whatever the situation was, the use of SIMs/Modules as self-learning materials ensured continuity of learning in
disadvantaged communities even in worst conditions. Children were provided with the modules during periods of
class disruption while the teachers facilitated the self-paced learning. Usually they used the modules to review

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competencies that have been mastered rather than introducing them to new skills since the children experiencing
fear and emotional disturbance could hardly concentrate.

iv) Quality Education Amidst Poverty

In a disadvantaged environment, parents believed that one of the major problems of education is its poor quality.
They generally say that education has deteriorated, and that “Our pupils today are not as good as they were in
the past”. When asked what quality education to them is, they equated this to private or exclusive education
where there are adequate resources in terms of teachers, instructional materials, classrooms, libraries, etc. Other
stakeholders have equated this to academic achievement. Academic achievement is normally identified with
the accumulation of knowledge, good NAT ratings, facility of expression especially in the English language, and
anything that pertains to awards received by the school or their pupils. Given the yearly monitoring and ranking
of schools in terms of NAT Ratings, the notion of quality education being identical to academic achievement is
promoting competition among schools within the district or division at large. The school stakeholders would think
their school has poor quality if they fall in the bottom of the division rank.

Intervention. The use of SIMs/Modules was perceived as a great support to teachers in meeting the expectations
of stakeholders in terms of academic achievement and bridging the inadequacy of school resources. In a context
where there was inadequacy of textbooks and limitations on the part of teachers on effective teaching method
and classroom management, the SIMs were addressing these to some extent since these have been designed for
self-learning and required minimal supervision. The SIMs was regarded by teachers as effective in such a way
that they are designed to be activity-based. They said there is an explanation of the principles of skills being
learned in the beginning and then an activity at end of each lesson. Competition is not emphasized much among
the children, but rather learning through natural process based on individual pacing.

It has been observed further by the stakeholders that children in general learn more and achieve more with the
use of SIMs in addition to their available instructional materials, with both parents and pupils in agreement on the
ease of use, responsiveness to learning and mastery of skills. All parents interviewed expressed satisfaction on
the use of SIMs as proven by their valuable contribution toward the improvement of academic achievement. On
the other hand, the teachers themselves have more free time in preparing lesson plans and teaching aids. They
can spend time enhancing the modules by localizing it. The challenge, however, is how to localize the content
and integrate local culture in the modules.

2. Survey Results on Relevance in Conformity with CFS Goals

A survey on relevance in conformity with CFS goals among students, teachers and school heads was conducted
to get their respective perceptions, and then validate and triangulate the above inferences based on observations
and interviews. Survey results were tabulated, processed and rated on the basis of percentage of positive
responses to compare CFS/ADM schools with Control Schools. For performance scoring, 0.50s are considered
low, 0.60s are promising, 0.70s are acceptable, .80s are good and .90s are excellent.

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Below is the result of survey on relevance:

Table 3: Pupils’ Responses on the Relevance of MISOSA to CFS Goals: Percentage of Performance Scores
Item # RELEVANCE to CFS goals (Conformity with CFS Goals ) MISOSA CONTROL

A Encouraging children’s participation in school and

community (goal1) 0.53 0.44
B Providing safe and protective spaces for children (goal 3) 0.54 0.47
C Increasing enrolment and completion (goal 4) 0.75 0.58
D Increasing children’s academic achievement and success (goal 5) 0.70 0.54
E Enhancing teachers’ morale and motivation (goal 6) 0.68 0.59
F Mobilizing community support for education (goal 7) 0.68 0.55

Score 0.64 0.53

Based on the student survey, MISOSA is perceived to be most relevant in terms of increasing enrolment and
completion (0.75) and enhancing academic achievement and success (0.70), both acceptable ratings. This pertains
to addressing dropout and low participation rate and the improvement on teaching and learning process. The
control schools have lower scores on all elements of relevance with respect to CFS goals, with low performance
rating, ranging from .44 to .59.

Table 4: Teachers’ Responses on the Relevance of MISOSA to CFS Goals: Percentage of Performance Scores
# RELEVANCE to CFS goals (Conformity with CFS Goals ) MISOSA CONTROL

A Encouraging children’s participation in school and

community (goal1) 0.82 0.78
B Supporting children’s health and well being (goal 2) 0.97 0.94
C Providing safe and protective spaces for children (goal 3) 0.90 0.77
D Increasing enrolment and completion (goal 4) 0.98 0.98
E Enhancing teachers’ morale and motivation (goal 6) 0.96 0.92
F Mobilizing community support for education (goal 7) 0.96 0.87

Score 0.93 0.88

Based on the teacher survey, MISOSA is perceived to be the most relevant in terms of increasing enrolment
and completion at 0.98, which is an excellent rating. This is indeed essential in addressing dropout and low
participation. This coincides with the student’s perception as well. It must be noted that MISOSA, despite
its limited pilot implementation, has been relevant in teaching and learning and was highly appreciated by the
schools.

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Table 5: School Heads’ Responses on the Relevance of MISOSA to CFS Goals: Percentage of Performance Scores
# RELEVANCE to CFS goals (Conformity with CFS Goals ) MISOSA CONTROL

A Encouraging children’s participation in school and

community (goal1) 0.85 0.80
B Supporting children’s health and well-being (goal 2) 0.88 0.69
C Providing safe and protective spaces for children (goal 3) 0.89 0.71
D Increasing enrolment and completion (goal 4) 0.63 0.50
E Increasing children’s academic achievement and success (goal 5) 0.88 1.00
F Mobilizing community support for education (goal 7) 0.75 0.75

Score 0.81 0.74

Based on the school head survey, MISOSA is perceived to be most relevant in terms of providing safe and
protective spaces for children (.89), supporting children’s health and well-being (.88), and increasing children’s
academic achievement and success (.88) – all good ratings. These are perceived as such because of MISOSA’s
integration of child-friendly interventions in partnership with parents and other community members, such as:
implementing feeding programs, tracking of nutritional status of undernourished children, protecting children
crossings across their schools; facilitating remedial teaching, etc. Control schools have an average of .74, an
“acceptable” level of performance.

Table 6: Overall RELEVANCE Score:: Percentage of Performance Scores Among Pupils, Teachers and School
Head
# RELEVANCE to CFS goals (Conformity with CFS Goals ) MISOSA CONTROL

Score 0.79 0.71

MISOSA (0.79) garnered higher overall relevance score when compared to the control school (0.71). They both,
however, still belong to the “acceptable” level of performance.

To further appreciate the above results, CFS Goals are presented below to determine the level of attainment of
each of the seven (7) CFS Goals.

Goal 1: Encourage Children’s Participation in School and Community

This refers to community involvement of children and their participation in school to express their feelings and
opinions regarding their concerns. Survey data among pupils, teachers and school heads reveal that MISOSA
schools are on a promising-to-good stage, while control schools are on low-to-good rating only. Scores of
MISOSA schools are also relatively higher compared with the control schools. See Table 7.

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Table 7: Responses Toward Attainment of CFS Goal 1
MISOSA CONTROL
PUPIL TEACHER SCHOOL HEAD PUPIL TEACHER SCHOOL HEAD

.62 .85 .85 .49 .82 .80

promising good good low good good

Goal 2: Enhance Children’s Health and Well-Being

This goal pertains to health and well-being in terms of regular weighing and health examination of pupils; annual
dental checkup; extending feeding program; provision of drinking water, toilet facilities, lavatories; and access to
a functional school clinic. The survey among pupils registered a low performance rating of .44 per cent for both
treatment and control schools. The teachers on the other hand have a promising rating for MISOSA schools, while
the teachers from control schools have indicated low marking. This corresponds with the sharing of teachers
of treatment schools that children who usually utilize the SIMs are the frequent absentees due to sickness,
exasperation, distress and torment for various reasons at home. The teachers facilitating MISOSA cannot just
be concerned about learning but must broaden their guardianship on the deeper aspects of the well-being of
disadvantaged children. The scores for school heads for both treatment and control schools are rated acceptable.

Table 8: Responses Toward Attainment of CFS Goal 2

MISOSA CONTROL
PUPIL TEACHER SCHOOL HEAD PUPIL TEACHER SCHOOL HEAD

.44 .60 .78 .44 .55 .72

low promising acceptable low low acceptable

The result of this survey is congruent with the self-assessment discussed earlier. Pupils, who are the direct
beneficiaries, have common rating on the low performance of their schools in terms of ensuring their health and
well-being. Further triangulation through school observation strengthens the survey. Results of school observation
are as follows:

Goal 3: Guarantee Safe and Protective Spaces for Children

Guaranteeing safe and protective spaces for children refers to the availability of standard physical plant and
facilities; adequate classroom furniture; surroundings with ample learning materials; secured premises; non-
discriminating and bully-free environment; non-threatening style of disciplining; and the like. The survey revealed
low rating among pupils for both treatment and control schools. Teachers of MISOSA schools, however, have a
“good” rating compared with just a “promising” marking for control schools.

MISOSA school heads have “excellent” assessment, while the control schools have a “promising” appraisal.
When triangulated with interview results, the school heads put a premium at the whole environment of the
school in terms of safety and protection of children inside and outside classroom premises in collaboration with
community members. This is not solely associated with MISOSA and is rather anchored on the CFS advocacy
extending to the barangay LGUs. MISOSA serves as an avenue to ensure a safe learning environment be it

66
outside or inside classrooms. School observations also point to some areas for improvement towards fulfilling the
elements of this goal.

Table 9: Responses Toward Attainment of CFS Goal 3

MISOSA CONTROL
PUPIL TEACHER SCHOOL HEAD PUPIL TEACHER SCHOOL HEAD

.54 .89 .95 .47 .78 .73

low good excellent low promising promising

Goal 4: Encourage Enrolment and Completion

The goal of encouraging enrolment and completion entails systematic identification of school-age children in the
community and bringing them to school. This is also the basic challenge of EFA and MDG on ensuring universal
education by 2015. The schools need to have a system to regularly check on the attendance of its pupils and
address problems concerning non-attendance and pupils who are at risk of dropping out. Comparison of survey
shows that treatment schools have a better rating than control schools. While teachers have a common rating
of “acceptable” condition, the school heads however have “promising” and “poor” assessment for treatment
and control schools, respectively. The school heads have better appreciation because of MISOSA intervention
through SIMs, but they do believe this needs to be complemented still with other interventions such as house
visits, tracking of SARDOs, strong partnership with barangay LGUs, dialogue with community elders, etc.

Table 10: Responses Toward Attainment of CFS Goal 4

MISOSA CONTROL
PUPIL TEACHER SCHOOL HEAD PUPIL TEACHER SCHOOL HEAD

.76 .75 .63 .63 .73 .50

acceptable acceptable promising promising acceptable poor

Goal 5: Ensure Children’s High Academic Achievement and Success

This goal gives emphasis on pupils’ academic performance brought about by child-centered and child-friendly
principles of teaching and learning. This entails systematic monitoring and evaluation of performance in the
division, regional and national tests to meet the minimum standard of mastery level of competencies. In the
earlier discussion, key performance indicators on NAT-MPS showed significant improvement on MISOSA schools.
Similarly, survey among pupils, teachers and school heads of MISOSA schools have revealed “acceptable” and
“excellent” ratings on academic achievement and successes. Control schools have lower scores from pupils,
teachers and school heads with “poor”, “promising” and “acceptable” ratings, respectively.

Table 11. Responses Toward Attainment of CFS Goal 5

MISOSA CONTROL
PUPIL TEACHER SCHOOL HEAD PUPIL TEACHER SCHOOL HEAD

.70 .76 .91 .56 .67 .75

acceptable acceptable excellent poor promising acceptable

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Goal 6: Raise Teachers’ Morale and Motivation

High teacher morale and motivation demonstrates support among themselves toward ensuring effective teaching
techniques and experiences. This entails continuing professional training. Conducive environment must be likewise
made available to them. Motivation is seen also as a result of school heads’ strong direction and leadership to
guide the teachers on their teaching undertakings. Teachers of MISOSA have better ratings among pupils and
teachers than the control schools. The school heads, however, have lower ratings than control schools. This
means the school heads of MISOSA believe that their teachers are less-motivated. Interviews with them point to
the meager remuneration of para-teachers, lack of resources to provide basic needs of their teaching force vis-à-
vis high expectation of being pilot schools.

Table 12: Responses Toward Attainment of CFS Goal 6

MISOSA CONTROL
PUPIL TEACHER SCHOOL HEAD PUPIL TEACHER SCHOOL HEAD

.73 .81 .65 .57 .75 .70

acceptable good promising low acceptable acceptable

Goal 7: Mobilize community support for education

Mobilization of community support for education pertains to strong PTA and other school stakeholders. This is
usually manifested in their support to raise funds and resources for learning. The school stakeholders altogether
draft policies and develop planning and implementation activities toward fostering inclusive education service in
their community. Survey results on this goal have shown that MISOSA schools have better ratings than control
schools among pupils, teachers and school heads. MISOSA enhances community support for education and
therefore complements CFS strategy. This will be further analyzed in the succeeding section.

Table 13: Responses Toward Attainment of CFS Goal 7

MISOSA CONTROL
PUPIL TEACHER SCHOOL HEAD PUPIL TEACHER SCHOOL HEAD

.68 .86 .75 .55 .79 .62

promising good acceptable low acceptable promising

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B. e-IMPACT

The following are the major observations gathered based on actual visits, interviews and FGDs with various
education stakeholders:

1. General Observations

i) Children in Sparsely Populated/Far-Flung Areas

Children in Congested Classes. Before the onset of the implementation of the ADM, the pilot e-IMPACT schools
have to accommodate multi-grade pupils in every space available inside a classroom designated to a classroom
teacher. With the Peer Group Learning mode under e-IMPACT, the rooms are de-congested through the utilization
of learning kiosks and other shaded areas where the peer groups are comfortable to undertake the activity. Pupils
are proportionately divided into “family groups” consisting of 6 to 10 pupils per level from levels 1 to 6 to a total
of 40-50 pupils per family. The groupings are heterogeneous (a mixture of slow, average and fast learners) and
primarily composed of siblings, neighbors and friends

Children in Far-Flung Communities. On the other hand, far-flung communities are served by e-IMPACT. These
communities are described as areas not plied by regular public utility vehicles due to the absence of all-weather
roads, risky terrain, river crossings or can only be reached by walking or unconventional rides such as, but not
limited to, horseback riding and habal-habal (motorcycles that charge exorbitant rates to bring a passenger
to his/her destination). The piloting of e-IMPACT to multi-grade schools in remote and far-flung communities
is perceived as very relevant as it was able to demonstrate the turnaround of school environment from being
mediocre to a relatively improving school. The modules served as the primary source of the learning process with
the apparent shortage of textbooks and other learning materials. Given the learner-centered design of modules,
self-study is being used in times when the pupils were hindered to go to school. In addition to the use of self-
instructional modules, the learning process is reinforced by the use of a program teaching mode wherein pupils
belonging to levels 4, 5 and 6 conduct the learning process for levels 1, 2 and 3 within the “group” or “family”
using a set of modules and pre-designed learning materials through the supervision of an Instructional Supervisor
(IS), equivalent to the classroom teacher in the conventional setting. The selected programmed teachers, who are
generally the fast learners, are trained/coached by the IS several days prior to the actual conduct of the learning
process including the use of the learning aids. This way, the classroom teacher is being able to “little teachers”
to replicate him/her in facilitating the learning process.

The above observations affirm the contention that e-IMPACT indeed enriches the multi-grade scheme being widely
implemented by DepEd. The multi-grade scheme still relies on conventional modes such as the teacher-centered
approach on learning, the use of classrooms as venue for teaching, and the reliance on textbooks for children to
learn. E-IMPACT, on the other hand, introduced innovations such as the use of learner-centered self-instructional
modules to facilitate self-study. It maximizes the teacher to replicate him/her by tapping fast learners to facilitate
group learning. It further maximizes open spaces for learning since the learners are group into families.

ii) Children who are frequently/occasionally absent due to engagement in child labor, conflict and disaster

Children Engaged in Labor. In this assessment, parents, teachers and BLGU members interviewed claim that child
labor is known to exist where children still toil in quarries, mines, factories, agriculture, service enterprises and
domestic help. Ironically, schools have no records of child laborers in their respective schools but can mentally

69
recall who among the pupils may be engaged as child laborers and can readily point to seasons when most of
these children are absent. During seasonal and prolonged absences of pupils, teachers allow the pupils to bring
home a copy of the module for home study. Family members, peers, neighbors and “family group” members
take turns to assist the absent pupils to master the modules. Home visits are also conducted by the teachers to
reinforce their home studies. The absent pupils can visit their schools to take the mastery test and take home a
higher module for continuous study.

Children in Conflict-Affected Communities. Some of the schools visited are considered areas of ideological armed
conflicts due to the remoteness of these areas. During these conflict situations, the learning modules can be
resorted to by the affected pupils to learn from until such period that the conflict situations have normalized. But
in the absence of stress debriefing and psychological assistance to the pupils, the impacts of these situations to
the schooling of the children cannot be really determined.

Children in Disaster-Prone Communities. School heads, teachers, parents and LGUs in e-IMPACT schools in
disaster-prone areas in the Cordillera region and in North and East Samar are already aware of the importance of
the modules for the continued schooling of the pupils. Before the onset of any known calamity, the safety of the
modules is foremost in their plans. Pupils are advised to take their modules home for their use for the duration
of the calamity threat.

This group of children has been ensured of the continuity of their learning through the e-IMPACT Modules that
are designed to facilitate self-study and assessment. The learning can continue even if children are absent from
classes during difficult times.

2. Survey Results on Relevance in conformity with CFS Goals

A survey on relevance in conformity with CFS goals among students, teachers and school heads is conducted
to get their respective perceptions and validate and triangulate inferences based on observations and interviews.
Below is the result of perception on relevance.

Table 14: Student Survey - RELEVANCE

Item # RELEVANCE to CFS goals
(Conformity with CFS Goals ) IMPACT CONTROL

A Encouraging children’s participation in school

and community (goal1) 0.48 0.55
B Providing safe and protective spaces for children (goal 3) 0.51 0.56
C Increasing enrolment and completion (goal 4) 0.66 0.72
D Increasing children’s academic achievement
and success (goal 5) 0.60 0.63
E Enhancing teachers’ morale and motivation (goal 6) 0.58 0.71
F Mobilizing community support for education (goal 7) 0.65 0.70

Score 0.58 0.64

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For e-IMPACT, the pupils perceive increasing enrolment and completion and mobilizing community support for
education as important factors in implementing the ADM. This can be inferred to the emphasis of the school
administration to encourage enrolment of eligible children in school and the apparent support from the community
to the improvement of the learning environment. The least-recognized goal is encouraging children’s participation
in school and community. Pupils are actively engaged in the teaching-learning process. Although pupils and
parents are appreciative of e-IMPACT activities where pupils are actively engaged in the teaching-learning
process, there is the tendency of parents to discourage their children to participate in various activities outside
of their academic requirements and to concentrate their efforts in their roles as programmed teachers and peer
group leaders. Hence, there is a need to consider the importance of integrating e-IMPACT activities with other
extra-curriculars to make school more palatable for children who otherwise find it still not so satisfying. The kind
of activities seems to not matter; what matters is the level of engagement in school that is significant for them
to get new ideas and interests, teach them to study more efficiently, develop their social skills, expose them
to caring adults, etc. Compared to their counterparts in control schools, e-IMPACT pupils tend to downgrade
their perceptions in the realization of CFSS goals as their efforts are concentrated in implementing their various
e-IMPACT activities. In contrast, most control schools are also implementing the CFSS approach as directed by
the Division Offices.

Table 15: Teacher Survey: Relevance

# RELEVANCE to CFS goals (Conformity with CFS Goals ) IMPACT CONTROL

A Encouraging children’s participation in school

and community (goal1) 0.84 0.77
B Supporting children’s health and well being (goal 2) 0.95 0.92
C Providing safe and protective spaces for children (goal 3) 0.83 0.84
D Increasing enrollment and completion (goal 4) 0.98 0.98
E Enhancing teachers’ morale and motivation (goal 6) 0.93 0.90
F Mobilizing community support for education (goal 7) 0.97 0.98

Score 0.92 0.89

The teachers in e-IMPACT schools perceive increasing enrolment and completion as most important in their
activities, followed closely by mobilizing community support for education. It should be noted that these are
consistent with the perception of pupils for the same survey although the teachers put these to a higher degree.
This is also the trend in the control schools which tend to establish that these are the priorities in most areas
visited. Providing safe and protective spaces seemingly got a low score in both e-IMPACT and control schools
due probably to the apparent absence of complete health facilities and personnel inside the campuses.

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Table 16: School Head Survey - RELEVANCE
# RELEVANCE to CFS goals (Conformity with CFS Goals ) IMPACT CONTROL

A Encouraging children’s participation in school

and community (goal1) 0.89 0.89
B Supporting children’s health and well-being (goal 2) 0.84 0.76
C Providing safe and protective spaces for children (goal 3) 0.89 0.84
D Increasing enrolment and completion (goal 4) 0.63 0.67
E Increasing children’s academic achievement and
success (goal 5) 1.00 1.00
F Mobilizing community support for education (goal 7) 0.78 0.83

Score 0.83 0.83

As for the school heads, increasing children’s academic achievement and success seems to be the emphasis
both for e-IMPACT and control schools. This can be attributed to the directives of higher authorities of DepEd
for every school to work for the increase in the achievement levels of pupils in the NAT. Encouraging children’s
participation in school and community and providing safe and protective spaces for children are seen as also
priorities in both e-IMPACT and control schools which validates the notion of the pupils and teachers that these
are not being realized. The perceptions of the school heads tend to prioritize activities to decrease the gaps seen
by the pupils and teachers.

Table 17: Overall RELEVANCE Score

# RELEVANCE to CFS goals (Conformity with CFS Goals ) IMPACT CONTROL
Score 0.78 0.79

The e-IMPACT schools are almost at par considering that control schools are mostly implementing the CFSS
approach in managing school activities.

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Exhibit 3. Education Performance and Survey Results on Development
Asset Profiles (DAP)
The evaluation analyzed trends and patterns related to movement of selected education performance indicators
(NAT, Enrolment, Dropout, Failure, Repetition, Graduation and Promotion rates based on BEIS) at baseline (SY
2002-03) to latest official data (SY 2009-10) of the selected schools in the 8 CPC-6 focus divisions and in
Zamboanga City.

This particular evaluation went beyond the cognitive area of effectiveness through the use of Development Asset
Profile (DAP). Internal factors included the individual characteristics or dispositions that students bring to their
learning, such as their interests, responsibility for learning, effort, values and perceived ability. For example,
were students confident or fearful when they approach new learning tasks? Did they attribute success to luck,
or did they appreciate the effort required? Did they feel in control of the factors that lead to success? It was
also important to understand the external factors, which schools could affect: the variables in learning conditions
and environment that triggered support or change student motivation. Certain types of schooling practices may
have promoted or hindered motivation, such as features of the classrooms, peer groups, tasks and instructional
practices. For example, challenging, relevant instruction helped to engage students. Another way to increase
motivation was through positive connections to others, such as mentors and role models. Students' beliefs about
their ability to learn were shaped by messages and experiences at home, in school and in the larger society.
Low expectations could be subtly communicated by parents and teachers, and through school practices such
as tracking, ability grouping or curriculum that is not challenging. Conversely, high but achievable expectations
conveyed the message that all students were capable of achieving.

Intem used the DAP of the Search Institute in determining the effectiveness of the ADM Program. Preparation
for this survey was done in close collaboration with staff of EQUALL/USAID. DAP is further described below:

SEARCH INSTITUTE’S DEVELOPMENTAL ASSETS5

The framework of Developmental Assets is Search Institute’s most widely recognized

contribution to the field of child, youth, family and community development. This
research-based framework identifies the relationships, opportunities, skills, values and
commitments children and adolescents need to grow up healthy, caring and responsible.
The assets are organized into two types:

External assets describe the support and opportunities that children and youth need
from their family, friends, organizations and communities.

Internal assets focus on the capacities, skills and values that young people need to
internalize as part of developing their own character and identity. A deep and growing
body of published peer-reviewed research supports the asset model. Research on more
than 3 million youth in grades 6 to 12 shows that incremental increases in levels
of Developmental Assets: (i) Promote school success, healthy choices and thriving;
and (ii) Prevent many forms of high-risk behavior, including underage tobacco use,
underage drinking, violence and premature sexual activity.

5
Strengthening Global Youth, Family, and Community Development Through Asset Building: A Collaborative Research and Application Initiative, by the Search
Institute, October 2010.

73
These relationships between assets and outcomes hold true for young people from all types of families, income
levels, racial/ethnic groups, communities and regions in the country. Young people’s experiences of assets
represent a solid foundation of what children need to succeed and what they need to be ready for college, work
and life.

For interpretation of scoring, 0.60s are considered promising, 0.70s are acceptable, 0.80s are good and 0.90s
are excellent. “Abundant assets” mean that most assets are experienced strongly and/or frequently. “Rising
assets” mean that most assets are experienced often, but there is room for continuing improvement. “Moderate
assets” mean that some assets are experienced, but many are weak and/or infrequent, and there is considerable
room for strengthening assets in many areas. “Limited assets” mean that few, if any, assets are strong or
frequent, that most assets are experienced infrequently, and that tremendous opputunities exist for strengthening
assets in most areas.

A. MISOSA

1. MISOSA’s Contributions to Education Outcomes

This section presents a discussion of the effectiveness of ADM and CFSS interventions in school performance
using the following performance indicators extracted from Grades 4 to 6: dropout rate, repetition rate, promotion
rate and achievement rate. The data used were consolidated from performance indicators of MISOSA treatment
schools vs. MISOSA control schools covering Grades 4 to 6 only.

i) Dropout rate

Looking at the dropout rate figure and table below, MISOSA shows a lot of promise. It is noted that MISOSA
schools had higher dropout rates than control schools in 2003-07 among Grades 4 to 6. After the Project
was introduced in 2006 along with the CFSS, there was an observed gradual improvement of the said trend. In
2008 to 2009, MISOSA schools registered a lower dropout rate than Control schools. MISOSA, as part of the
CFSS strategy to address dropout problem, must have contributed to this improvement. See Figure 1 and Table
1 below.

Figure 1: Dropout rate, Grades 4 to 6 (SY 2003-2009)

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Table 1: Dropout Rate, Grades IV to VI (SY 2003-2009)
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

MISOSA 1.96 1.81 1.34 1.66 1.88 0.21 0.9

CONTROL 0.84 0.79 0.46 0.98 0.25 0.36 1.83

ii) NAT – MPS

National Achievement Test score (NAT-MPS) is on an increasing trend during the years of MISOSA implementation
from 2006 to 2009, with NAT-MPS of 57.91, 61.41, 63.57, and 64.99, respectively. From a low of 52.3 in
2003, MISOSA schools improved incrementally to an average of 64.99 in 2009.

For control schools, NAT-MPS was also on an increasing trend from 2003 to 2009. However, when compared to
schools under MISOSA, NAT-MPS performance of Control schools was consistently lower from 2006-2009. This
may not be attributed to MISOSA, though, as MISOSA schools had been noted to have higher NAT-MPS than
Control schools since 2003, with 52.3 and 39.84, respectively. In 2009, MISOSA and Control schools registered
almost equal scores of 64.99 and 64.75, respectively. Please see Figure 2 and Table 2 below:

Figure 2: NAT-MPS

Table 2: NAT-MPS
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

MISOSA 52.3 57.64 54.61 57.91 61.41 63.57 64.99

CONTROL 39.84 46.29 48.33 51.18 53.42 56.72 64.75

75
 iii) Promotion rate

In terms of promotion rate, MISOSA and Control schools have similar increasing trends from 2007 to 2009. From
a low of 47.33 in 2007, MISOSA schools reached a high of 97.19 in 2009. It should be noted, however, that
even before program interventions, treatment schools have already showed higher promotion rates than Control
schools from 2003 to 2005. Careful observation should be made on the sudden drop of promotion rates for both
treatment and Control schools in 2007. This is due to the lack of data on the part of BEIS, hence the low results.
Based on the figure below, it can be said that promotion rate is on an erratic trend from 2003 to 2009. MISOSA
schools have registered gradual increases except for a decrease in 2007 (47.33). Please see Table 3 and Figure
3 below:

Figure 3: Promotion rate

Table 3: Promotion Rate

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

MISOSA 94.80 95.96 96.19 96.37 47.33 73.58 97.19

CONTROL 89.25 89.50 85.81 97.88 36.33 74.64 97.53

iv) Repetition rate

MISOSA schools registered the highest repetition rates in 2004 at 2.0 per cent. This gradually declined to 0.03
per cent in 2008 but slightly increased again to 0.79 in 2009. This shows an erratic trending of this performance.
However, it can be inferred that an average performance of below 1 per cent has been incurred during program
implementation from 2006 onwards. This is an improvement of performance compared with the pre-intervention
performance with an average of 1.21 per cent. The Control schools follow the erratic trending of MISOSA
schools. Control schools have higher repetition rates in 2007 and 2008 compared with MISOSA, but have
become slightly lower in 2009. See Figure 4 and Table 4.

76
Figure 4: Repetition Rate

Table 4: Repetition Rate

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

MISOSA 0.10 2.0 1.55 1.29 0.90 0.03 0.79

CONTROL 0.35 0.91 1.36 0.11 1.23 0.23 0.67

In summary, the overall picture on effectiveness based on the above-named selected indicators is shown below:

Table 5. Overall Results of Performance of Effectiveness

Indicator Pre-Intervention (2003-05) Intervention (2006-09)
MISOSA Control Gap MISOSA Control Gap

Dropout rate 1.70 .69 1.01 1.16 .86 .3

NAT 54.84 44.82 10.02 61.97 56.51 5.46
Promotion Rate 95.65 88.18 7.55 78.62 76.59 2.03
Repetition Rate 1.22 .87 .35 .75 .56 .19

Table 5 above shows comparative analysis of MISOSA performance between pre-intervention and during the
intervention stage. For dropout indicator on pre-intervention, MISOSA schools have a higher dropout rating of an
average of .69 per cent. During intervention from 2006 to 2009, the dropout gap between treatment and Control
schools was lessened to .3 per cent. On NAT-MPS, MISOSA schools consistently remained higher on both pre-
intervention (10.02) and during the intervention (5.46) stages. Promotion rate for MISOSA schools was higher at
7.55 per cent pre-intervention. They remained high during the intervention stage but the gap narrowed to 2.03.
This means that Control schools have improved on this stage. As for repetition rate, MISOSA schools have higher
repetition with the average of .35 per cent during the pre-intervention stage. This was narrowed to .19 per cent
during the intervention stage.

77
Based on these results, it can be said that MISOSA has generally improved more on dropout and repetition
compared with control schools. If the intervention has not been introduced, dropout rate could have worsened
since the Control schools showed a slightly increasing trend. The .69 per cent difference from Control schools
could have stretched out if not for the intervention. MISOSA schools may also have been still far from the mastery
level, which is in the 50s range compared with the near-mastery level of 60s when intervention was introduced.

B. DAP profile

MISOSA schools received an “acceptable” (0.70) rating on its external assets. Although slightly higher on
internal assets (0.75), it is also within acceptable range. The average scores for both external and internal assets
is 0.72, which is likewise on the “acceptable range”. Internal assets for MISOSA are high in school compared
with family and community. This is an affirmative picture of school being a place for developing children’s
internal social assets. See Table 6 and Figure 5 below.

Table 6. DEVELOPMENTAL ASSETS PROFILE RESULTS (CONTEXT VIEW)

MISOSA Range of Scores Range
External Assets 0.70 ACCEPTABLE
Internal Assets 0.75 ACCEPTABLE
AVERAGE SCORE 0.72 ACCEPTABLE
ASSET CATEGORIES
Personal 0.70 21 RISING
Social 0.70 21 RISING
Family 0.80 24 RISING
School 0.83 25 RISING
Community 0.63 19 MODERATE

Figure 5. Developmental assets profile results (context view)

Looking at the category view of MISOSA schools, boundaries and expectations have the highest positive lookout
coupled with commitment to learning. This means that family, schools and community provide clear rules and
expectations. Positive peer and adult influence and high expectation would mean that parents and teachers are

78
encouraging the children to do well. Commitment to learning (.80) is at a “good” rating. This means that the
children are motivated to do well in school, actively engage in learning and care about their school. The least
asset category rating is on the constructive use of time with a “promising” rate of .63. This means that children
need to engage more in creative activities. This calls for a balance of mental, physical and psycho-social needs
of children. See Table 7 and Figure 6 below.

Table 7. DEVELOPMENTAL ASSETS PROFILE RESULTS (CATEGORY VIEW)

SCHOOL TYPE MISOSA Range of Scores Range
External Assets 0.72 ACCEPTABLE
Internal Assets 0.70 ACCEPTABLE
Average 0.71 ACCEPTABLE
ASSET CATEGORIES
Support 0.76 23 RISING
Empowerment 0.70 21 RISING
Boundaries & Expectations 0.80 24 RISING
Constructive Use of Time 0.63 19 MODERATE
Commitment to Learning 0.80 24 RISING
Positive Values 0.66 20 MODERATE
Social Competencies 0.66 20 MODERATE
Positive Identity 0.70 21 MODERATE

Figure 6. DEVELOPMENTAL ASSETS PROFILE RESULTS (CATEGORY VIEW)

79
B. e-IMPACT

1. e-IMPACT’s Contribution on Education Performance

This section presents a discussion of the effectiveness of e-IMPACT interventions in school performance using
the following performance indicators: dropout rate, repetition rate, promotion rate and NAT. The data used were
consolidated from performance indicators of 51 schools according to treatment and control groups.

i) Dropout. Trends from 2006 (when e-IMPACT was introduced in most of the schools although the actual
implementation started in 2008, except in Culianan LC where it is being implemented for more than 20 years) to
2009 will be the focus of analysis.

Figure 7: Dropout rate

Table 8: Dropout Rate

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

e-IMPACT 1.08 1.01 1.58 2.17 0.69 0.67 0.89

CONTROL 1.55 1.37 0.64 1.01 0.20 0.26 0.99

At the introduction of the learning system in 2006, the e-IMPACT schools registered two times higher than the
control schools. By the end of school year 2009, the dropout rate in e-IMPACT schools was reduced by almost
60 per cent compared with Control schools which basically retained the same rate in 2006 and 2009.

ii) Promotion Rate. Promotion rate in e-IMPACT schools increased from its level in 2006 to 97.20 per cent by
the end of 2009. In 2006, the Control schools registered higher rates than the treatment schools. However, by
2009, the treatment schools are already ahead of the Control schools in terms of pupil promotion.

80
Figure 8: Promotion rate

Table 9: Promotion Rate

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

e-IMPACT 95.9 84.9 92.1 94.4 97.4 96.7 97.2

CONTROL 93.63 94.20 79.22 98.17 29.06 77.59 95.66

iii) Repetition Rates. Both control and e-IMPACT schools registered almost the same repetition rates in 2006 at
3.2 per cent when the ADM was first introduced. By 2008 when the innovation was implemented, the treatment
schools already had higher repetition rates. But by 2009, the treatment schools were able to reduce the ratio of
students who repeat their grade levels while the Control schools increased their ratios.

Figure 9: Repetition rate

81
Table 10: Repetition Rate
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

e-IMPACT 1.53 3.96 4.04 3.2 0.92 3.55 2.16

CONTROL 2.93 3.24 4.11 3.24 0.99 2.39 3.49

iv) NAT-MPS. Both e-IMPACT and control schools registered an increasing trend of their MPS during the conduct
of the NAT. However, e-IMPACT schools had constantly achieved higher MPS even before the adoption of the
intervention. By the end of 2009, e-IMPACT schools had already surpassed the national standards set by the
DepEd for an acceptable achievement of 75 per cent.

Figure 10: NAT-MPS

Table 11: NAT-MPS

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

e-IMPACT 41.36 39.81 55.33 56.96 68.11 77.8 80.42

CONTROL 39.84 46.29 48.33 51.18 53.42 56.72 64.75

82
2. Developmental assets profile

Both e-IMPACT schools and Control schools were rated “Promising” (0.60). E-IMPACT schools showed a slightly
higher score than Control schools in terms of internal assets.

Table 12: DEVELOPMENTAL ASSETS PROFILE RESULTS (CONTEXT VIEW)

IMPACT CONTROL

External Assets 0.66 0.66

Internal Assets 0.71 0.70
AVERAGE SCORE 0.68 0.68
ASSET CATEGORIES
EXTERNAL ASSETS
Personal 0.66 0.66
Social 0.66 0.66
INTERNAL ASSETS
Family 0.76 0.76
School 0.76 0.76
Community 0.63 0.60

The table shows alpha reliabilities of selected case study schools and control schools. For the scoring, 0.60s are
considered promising, 0.70s are acceptable, 0.80s are good and 0.90 are excellent.

Figure 11: Developmental assets profile results (context view)

83
Both e-IMPACT schools and Control schools were rated “promising” (0.60). Control schools showed a slightly
higher score than e-IMPACT schools in terms of internal assets.

Table 13: DEVELOPMENTAL ASSETS PROFILE RESULTS (CATEGORY VIEW)

SCHOOL TYPE IMPACT CONTROL

External Assets 0.70 0.70

Internal Assets 0.67 0.68
Average 0.68 0.69
ASSET CATEGORIES
Support 0.73 0.73
Empowerment 0.70 0.66
Boundaries & Expectations 0.76 0.76
Constructive Use of Time 0.63 0.60
Commitment to Learning 0.73 0.73
Positive Values 0.66 0.63
Social Competencies 0.66 0.66
Positive Identity 0.63 0.73

Figure 12: Developmental assets profile results (category view)

84
C. Performance Indicators among Treatment, Control and National Performance, SY
03-09

Dropout in MISOSA Treatment Schools, when compared with the National Performance, was at the average of
0.53 during pre-intervention was reduced to 0.22 per cent in the intervention stage among grade 4 to 6 pupils.
On the other hand, the Control schools registered an increasing trend from 0.69 to 0.85 per cent. National
Performance remains slightly lesser or better in both MISOSA and Control schools during the pre-intervention
and intervention stages. On the other hand, the e-IMPACT dropout rate had a gap of 0.12 per cent between
e-IMPACT treatment schools and the National Performance during the pre-intervention period. This was reduced
to 0.02 per cent in the intervention period among grade 1 to 6 pupils. Control schools also have a decreasing
trend, improving its performance from 1.18 to .57 per cent. The National Performance remains slightly higher on
both pre-intervention and during the intervention when compared with e-IMPACT schools.

Repetition in MISOSA schools registered the highest rate in 2004 at 2.0 per cent. This gradually declined to
0.03 per cent in 2008 but slightly increased again to 0.79 per cent in 2009. This shows an erratic trending of
this performance. Compared with Control schools, they have higher repetition at the average of 0.35 per cent on
pre-intervention period. This was narrowed to 0.19 per cent during the intervention period. Compared with the
National Performance, MISOSA schools had lower repetition rate by .25 per cent during the intervention stage.
On the other hand, both e-IMPACT and Control schools registered almost the same repetition rates in 2006 at
3.2 per cent when the ADM was first introduced. By 2008 when the innovation was implemented, the treatment
schools already had higher repetition rates. But by 2009, the treatment schools were able to reduce the ratio of
students who repeat their grade levels while the Control schools increased their ratios. E-IMPACT schools have
reduced the gap with the National Performance from 0.8 per cent in the pre-intervention stage to 0.1 per cent in
the intervention stage.

Promotion rate for MISOSA had a low of 94.80 per cent in 2003 and reached a high of 97.19 per cent in 2009.
Performance results, however, showed that the promotion rate was on an erratic trend from 2003 to 2009 for
both MISOSA and Control schools. MISOSA schools had a higher promotion rate of 7.55 per cent than Control
schools pre-intervention. They remained higher during the intervention stage but the gap narrowed to 2.03. It
should be noted, however, that between MISOSA and the National Performance, the gap was not reduced but
rather widened to 5 per cent because of unusual low performance in SY 2007-08 for both treatment and Control
schools. On the other hand, the average promotion rate in e-IMPACT schools of 95.94 per cent in 2003 slightly
decreased to 94.45 per cent in 2006, and then improved to 97.15 per cent in 2009 with a noted incremental
increase of 1.21 per cent. Compared to the Control schools, the average promotion rates are 93.99 per cent in
2003, 95.23 per cent in 2006, and slightly improved to 95.97 per cent in 2009 for a gain of 1.98 per cent. The
average performance rate of e-IMPACT (96.4) schools during intervention stage was higher by 3.87 per cent than
the National Performance (92.53).

National Achievement Test score (NAT-MPS) was on an increasing trend during the years of MISOSA
implementation from 2006 to 2007. The score is also higher compared to the year before it was implemented
– 52.3 per cent in 2003 to 64.99 per cent in 2009. For control schools, NAT-MPS was also on an increasing
trend from 2003 until 2009. However, when compared to schools under MISOSA, NAT-MPS in Control schools
was consistently lower from 2006 to 2009. Compared with the National Performance, the gap of 4.91 per cent
during pre-intervention was reduced to 0.39 per cent during the intervention period. Performance in the NAT in
all e-IMPACT schools were registered below the national standard of 75 per cent MPS in 2003, with an average
MPS of 41.36 per cent. In 2006, the average MPS registered at 56.96 per cent with two schools scoring above

85
the national standard. The MPS was further improved to 71.49 per cent in 2009 with four schools scoring above
the national standard. For Control schools, the average MPS in 2003 was 51.73 per cent, which decreased to
47.85 per cent in 2006 and increased again to 62.66 per cent in 2009, with two schools registering MPS above
the national standard. Compared with the National Performance, during pre-intervention stage, e-IMPACT schools
were lower by 8.96 per cent. A turnaround happened during the intervention period where average e-IMPACT
schools registered a higher performance rate by 9.41 per cent.

See table below for reference.

86
Exhibit 4. Cost Benefit Analysis and Survey Results on ADMs

A. MISOSA

1. The cost of implementing MISOSA

For purposes of costing, a review of the Department of Education Order Number 53, Series of 2011, issued on 13
July 2011 entitled Guidelines on the Utilization of Funds for Alternative Delivery Modes (ADMs) in Formal Basic
Education was done. The said Department Order stipulated the expenditure items and amount allocated for each
component/activity for the piloting of MISOSA.

There is no target number of schools specified in the DepEd Order. However, a support fund of PhP 2.2 million
is allocated for each recipient region with Divisions that will implement the ADM. The support funds will be used
for advocacy meeting with parents, printing and distribution of MISOSA modules (master copies are available at
the BEE), honorarium of MISOSA teacher-facilitator (this is a new expense item as visited schools stated that the
teacher facilitator is on a purely voluntary basis), and on monitoring the progress of implementation. Since all the
17 regions are expected to adopt the ADM, a total of PhP 37.4 million is allocated for this purpose.

The cost items as identified in the DepEd order include the following:

Table 1: Cost Items in the DepEd order

Cost Item Amount Allocated
(in PhP)

Consultative meetings/conference with field implementers 484,000.00

Revision and finalization of MISOSA modules and manual of implementation 900,000.00
Training orientation of MISOSA implementers 700,000.00
Printing and distribution of MISOSA modules* 17,000,000.00
Downloading of operating funds (to regions)* 20,400,000.00
Development, Field testing of monitoring and assessment tools 400,000.00
Monitoring of implementing schools 498,000.00
Total Investment for initiating MISOSA 40,382,000.00

NOTE: * for downloading to respective regional offices

The cost per school for implementing MISOSA depends largely on the number of modules to be printed and the
number of teacher-facilitators to be trained and is only ascertained during actual implementation.

Basic Expenditure Items Crucial to Implementation of MISOSA. Start-up expenses are incurred to initiate MISOSA
at the school level and to prepare the stakeholders for their adoption to the system. Crucial to the implementation
are the trainings conducted for the stakeholders and the production and distribution of learning modules for use
of pupils, teachers and supervisors. Complementing these are the social marketing activities conducted to gain
support from various stakeholders. Another important input is for the improvement of physical facilities, such as
the venue for off-school mode.

87
Prior to the issuance of DepEd Order Number 53, series of 2011, there was no allocation for the honorarium
of the teacher-facilitator in the off-school mode. As had been experienced in most MISOSA schools, the para-
teacher or teacher-facilitator holds the same responsibility as that of a regular teacher in ensuring that the learners
are able to gain the competencies as required in the SIMs. Without any financial consideration of the services
rendered, the teacher-facilitator would quit his/her job in consideration of other employment opportunities. In
most of the schools visited, the teacher-facilitator only stayed during the first year of implementation because of
the voluntary nature of the job.

There is no explicit amount as to how much the honorarium allotted for the teacher-facilitator is. Hopefully, the
amount would translate to the continued provision of service.

One of the features of MISOSA is the conduct of off-school sessions supposedly in any space that can accommodate
the off-school group. However, the schools opted to conduct off-school sessions inside the campus using any
available space that can accommodate pupils. In the end, the concept of off-school was disregarded and all pupils
stayed in school, only in separate groups. One group attends the conventional teaching method and the other
group makes use of the SIMs. Ultimately, the modules were used as supplementary learning materials when an
additional teacher is assigned in the school, thereby decongesting the classroom.

As per the experience of schools piloting MISOSA, the SIMs are around 5 to 6 years old already but are still very
usable and remained intact. Maintenance of SIMs apparently is more manageable since the packaging is loose
(by leaflet). If ever it is damaged, reproduction by leaflet is not so burdensome. This is not possible in the case
of textbooks.

The most crucial factor to consider in the implementation of MISOSA is the reproduction of SIMs. The cost to
reproduce the SIMs are estimated by grade level as follows (at the rate of PhP 0.75 per copy): Grade 4 – PhP
2,145; Grade 5 – PhP 1,297.50; and Grade 6 – PhP 1,866. Over a five-year usable life expectancy, the cost per
student will be PhP 429 for Grade 4; PhP 259.50 for Grade 5 and PhP 373.20 for Grade 6. Photocopying cost in
various localities may vary depending on the remoteness of location, amounting from PhP 0.75 to 1.25 per page.

The maintenance of para-teachers at the school level was shouldered by stakeholders, with the amount ranging
from PhP 2,000 to 4,000.

The large amount of expenses incurred at the DepEd Central Office for preparatory activities related to the
implementation of ADMs and CFS-Secondary. The bulk of the budget is spent on trainings and preparation,
and the reproduction and distribution of modules and instructional materials. Social marketing and advocacy
campaigns can be done by each school once they are prepared to implement the interventions.

88
Per Pupil Cost of implementing MISOSA. Generally, a classroom being considered for MISOSA should have an
enrolment of at least 60 pupils in grades 4, 5 or 6. The cost per pupil ratio of implementing MISOSA during the
first year of implementation is estimated at PhP 1,550. Assuming that the modules have a shelf life of five years,
the yearly investment for every pupil directly benefitting would be PhP 310. The detailed cost assumptions are
as follows:

 Training of MISOSA implementers (assuming 1 classroom should be decongested), 1 teacher, 1

teacher facilitators, 1 school head, 5 day training

3 persons X 5 days X 1000/day = Php 15,000

Transportation:
3 persons X 1000 = Php 3,000

 Reproduction of modules
Assumption: 5 subject areas with 1 module used every week for the off-school group during
the 40 weeks to conduct classes in one school year for a total of 200 modules; cost of module
is at PhP 15/ module; the number of off school pupils is 25 at any one time

200 modules X 25 pupils X PhP 15/module = Php 75,000

 Total cost for MISOSA implementation = Php 93,000

Note: honorarium of teacher-facilitators is not included since during the conduct of the evaluation, teacher-
facilitators did not receive any financial assistance from any source during the implementation of MISOSA. Few
schools implemented this, at an average of three months only.

2. Comparative cost analysis

Comparative analysis of estimated six-year-per-student cost of education via the regular mode (PhP 40,818.94)
vs. MISOSA (PhP 20,164.10) shows that MISOSA may be delivered at a lower cost if lodged within the existing
school management system. Please see table below.

89
 TOTAL
School Inputs Unit cost (PhP) REGULAR MISOSA REGULAR (PhP) MISOSA (PhP)

1. School 646,000 6 3 3,876,000 1,938,000

Building
7m x 9m
with toilet

2. Hiring of 17,099 6 pax X12 mos 3pax X12 mos 7,386,768 3,693,384
teachers X 6 yrs X 6 yrs

3. Learning
Materials
(Textbooks,
SIMs and
IMS)

3.1 Regular 1,076.09 X 2 printing 645,654.00

rounds x
300 pax

3.2 MISOSA 310 X 2 reproduction 93,000.00

Self-learning rounds x
modules 150 pax

Textbooks 1,076.09 X 2 printing 322,827.00

rounds x
150 pax

4. Teacher 1,119.36 6 pax X 6 pax X 13,432.32 13,432.32

Guides 2 printing rounds 2 printing rounds

Others
Makeshift LC 50,000.00 3 150,000.00
(off-school
class)

Learning 5,000.00
Kiosk (PGL
activities)

Estimated 12,245,681.00 6,049,229.82

Total

Number of 300 pax at 300 pax at 300 300

students 50 pax per class 50 pax per class

Estimated 39,739.51 19,581.28

Cost per
Student

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A simple cost-benefit analysis table is presented below, justifying investments on MISOSA to make sure every
child gets a better education in a more efficient manner, thus a better future:

Indicator Pre-Intervention (2003-05) Intervention (2006-09) Benefits/

Losses
MISOSA Control Gap MISOSA Control Gap

Dropout rate 1.70 0.79 0.91 1.16 0.86 0.3 0.61

Promotion Rate 95.65 88.20 7.45 78.62 76.59 2.03 -
Repetition Rate 1.22 0.57 0.65 0.75 0.56 0.19 0.46
NAT 54.85 44.82 10.03 61.97 56.51 5.46 -

Comparative Benefit Scores 19.04 1.07

Comparative Gain Attributed to MISOSA 1.07
CBA (Cost per Pupil at PhP 20,654/Estimated Benefit of 1.07)= 221

The simple analysis above shows that MISOSA is much cheaper to implement by 49.40 per cent compared with
the regular mode. It should be noted, however, that this analysis does not include the cost of para-teachers
since they were not actually implemented and/or sustained by the LGUs. This means that supporting MISOSA
through modules and kiosks would give benefit in addressing dropout and repetition problems. Comparative gain
attributed to MISOSA on dropout and repetition is 1.07 with monetary gain of PhP 221.

B. e-IMPACT

1. The Cost of implementing IMPACT

Basic Expenditure Items Crucial to Implementation of e-IMPACT. Initial investments for the establishment of
e-IMPACT are for the construction of infrastructure that is suited for the innovation. This constitutes the bulk of
the expenses needed since a classroom to be established is larger than the typical classroom. Secondary to this
are the Instructional Modules and teacher guides that are used in the learning process. The costs of the learning
kiosks are most often provided by the community.

Recurring expenses are in the forms of salaries for the hiring of teachers, salaries of school head, and operating
and maintenance cost. These are expense items that are taken from the regular budget of DepEd.

Cost Reduction Measures of Schools. BLGUs and PTAs were mobilized to contribute financial, material and
manpower support for the improvement of classrooms and the school environment. These resulted in transforming
the school to become more attractive to the school children.

The use of recyclable materials to develop instructional materials and visual aids are done by the teachers to
minimize cost on supplies. Community resources were mobilized to construct kiosks near the classrooms for peer
group learning to be conducted. These are being maintained and improved by the PTA and BLGU. Other examples
of community participation are the free labor it provides for the construction of shelves to keep the modules, and
the minor repairs and refurbishing of classrooms. The security of children is ensured with the hiring of security
guards that are paid by the LGU and the PTA to complement the security personnel provided by the school. In
schools that cannot afford to hire security personnel, civilian volunteers are provided by the BLGU during school

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hours and weekends. Damaged modules are replaced with photocopied materials by the PTA especially if the
material is destroyed while in the custody of their children.

Per Pupil Cost of Implementing e-IMPACT

To establish a costing for establishing an e-IMPACT school, basic assumptions should be considered.

Assumptions:
Number of pupils in a typical multi-grade school = 100 pupils (Grades 1 to 6)
Number of teachers = 1 teacher
Classroom = 1 classroom to be established which is larger than the typical classroom
School head = 1 school head assigned to a mother school with the multi-grade school as satellite
Cost of modules = based on cost estimates provided by DepEd
Cost of teacher’s guide = based on cost estimates provided by DepEd
Number of years considered = 6 years
Operating and maintenance cost = based on average cost per pupil provided by DepEd
Based on these assumptions, the following can be derived:

Table 4: Six-Year Estimated Cost of e-IMPACT

Expenditure Items Unit cost (PhP) Requirement Total (PhP)

1. School Building and alternative

learning spaces (i.e., kiosks)
7m x 18m with toilet 1,175,000.00 2 2,350,000.00

2. Hiring of teachers 17,099.00 1 pax X 12 mos X 6 yrs 1,231,128.00

3. Hiring of School Head 21,078.00 say 30% of 455,284.80

regular cost since
under regular school

4. Learning Materials
(Textbooks, SIMs and IMS)

SIMs 405.00 X 2 reproduction rounds 81,000.00

X 100 pax

5. Teacher Guides 1,119.36 2 pax X 2 printing rounds 4,477.44

Operating and Maintenance Cost 270.00 x 100 pax X12 mos X 6 yrs 1,944,000.00

Learning Kiosk (PGL activities) 5,000.00 2 10,000.00

Estimated Total 6,065,890.24

Number of students 100 pax at 50 pax per family 100

Estimated Cost per Student 60,658.90

From the table above, the establishment of a single e-IMPACT area will cost around PhP 6.07 million involving
100 pupils with an estimated cost per student at PhP 60,700 for the six-year duration.

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To be able to appreciate the cost efficiency of establishing e-IMPACT, a cost presentation of the establishment
of a conventional school needs to be presented. A conventional school basically offers a complete mono-grade
class from grade 1 to grade 6 with 300 pupils at an average of 50 pupils per grade level.

Table 5: Comparative Data of 6-year Estimated Cost of Primary Education Delivery (Regular vs. e-IMPACT)

Requirement Total
Expenditure Items Unit cost (PhP) REGULAR e-Impact REGULAR (PhP) e-Impact (PhP)

1. School Building
and other
alternative
learning
spaces

7m x 9m 646,000.00 6 1 3,876,000 646,000.00

with toilet

7m x 18m 1,175,000.00 2 2,350,000

with toilet

Learning Kiosk 5,000.00 2 10,000.00

(PGL activities)

2. Hiring of 17,099.00 6 pax X12 mos 3 pax x 12 mos 7,386,768 3,693,384.00

teachers X 6 yrs x 6 yrs

3. Learning
Materials
(Textbooks,
SIMs and IMS)
1,076.09 X 2 printing 645,654.00
3.1 Regular rounds x 300 pax

3.2 e-IMPACT 405.00 X 2 reproduction 81,000.00

rounds
x 100 pax

Estimated 11,908,422.00 6,780,384

Total

Number of
students 300 pax at 100 pax at 50 300 300
50 pax per class pax per family

Estimated Cost 39,694.74 22,601.28

per Student

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On a per student cost, it can be seen that establishing a regular school is more expensive than implementing an
e-IMPACT school. Regular mode costs around PhP 39,694.74 per student while e-IMPACT costs approximately
Php 22,601.28 per student.

A simple cost-benefit analysis is presented below, showing high returns for investment (B/C=12.61) on a child’s
education:

Table 6 Cost-Benefit Analysis

Indicator Pre-Intervention (2003-05) Intervention (2006-09) Benefits/

Losses
MISOSA Control Gap MISOSA Control Gap

Dropout rate 1.70 0.79 .91 1.10 0.86 .24 0.67

Promotion Rate 90.97 89.01 1.96 96.45 75.12 21.33 19.37
Repetition Rate 3.17 3.42 .25 .54 2.52 1.98 1.73
NAT 45.5 44.82 .68 70.82 56.51 14.31 13.63

Comparative Benefit Scores 3.04 35.4

Comparative Gain Attributed to e-impact 32.36
CBA (Cost per Pupil at Php 17,093.44/Estimated Benefit of 32.36) 5,531.44

The simple analysis above shows that e-IMPACT is much cheaper to implement by 32.5 per cent compared with
the regular mode. Furthermore, data shows that supporting e-IMPACT would give high benefit in addressing
promotion and NAT education outcomes. Comparative gain attributed to e-IMPACT on dropout, promotion,
repetition and NAT is around 32.36 per cent with monetary gain of PhP 5,531.44.

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Exhibit 5. General Observations on Sustainability of ADMs

A. MISOSA

Sustainability refers to evaluating MISOSA in terms of its capability for guaranteed continuity beyond project
resource provision. It shall take a look into its various links to other community support agencies and partners as
an essential survival and support strategy.

In light of these parameters, the following concerns were observed per evaluation findings:

i) Sustainability at the local level

Un-sustainability of MISOSA’s Off-School Approach

MISOSA‘s Off-School scheme was not considered sustainable among treatment schools. Implementing the Off-
School Approach without regular support for adequate allowance of para-teachers from LGUs (especially those
belonging to Grade 5 and 6 classes) and PTA stakeholders is proven difficult and therefore not sustainable. Some
schools have tried implementing it but the implementation time only lasted for one to two years. After 2008,
there was no school implementing the Off-School Mode.

On the other hand, this was exacerbated by the non-participation of LGU stakeholders during the MISOSA
orientation conducted for concerned schools. Advocacy was left to the school heads in getting support for the
remuneration of para-teachers

There is one school in Saranggani which has just found a volunteer now. However, she admitted that she is
only good for a few months to earn time credit points as a para-teacher and is just waiting for the result of her
licensure examination. She is definitely looking forward to a regular job since the PhP 2,000 donation per month
is not enough to sustain her. Indeed, sustainability of para-teachers at the school level is the major hindrance in
the implementation of the Off-School Approach.

It should be noted, however, that the Off-School Approach was perceived effective by the school stakeholders such
as pupils, parents, teachers and school heads in decongesting the class and/or improving learning competencies
of pupils. It was just beyond the capacity of local stakeholders to bear the responsibility of providing just
remuneration of the volunteer teachers. Another concern is the implementation of Off-School classes per se. The
study team never observed an Off-School implementation in the real sense of alternative venues outside school
premises. They were all inside school premises but outside classrooms.

Given the above observations, MISOSA should be further re-modified and be given proper labelling to suit what is
only implementable at the school level. One major possible remedy discussed with Division Personnel is to pattern
the maintenance of volunteer teachers with the ALS Mobile Teachers. A team of roving para-teachers can be
organized at the Division or provincial level with ensured remuneration. Another way to manage this is to simply
introduce it as an “In-Off Classroom Approach” ADM.

Enabling Conditions for the Sustainable Use of MISOSA SIMs

The In-School Approach was something that was appreciated and perceived effective by all stakeholders. Its
implementation was continued and was even being expanded.

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 Strong School Head Leadership

The School Head’s leadership capabilities and knowledge of the program played a crucial role for the successful
and sustainable implementation of the MISOSA SIMs. They served as the catalyst for stakeholder support in
various forms. The role of the school head is a key factor toward ensuring collective governance of the school.
He/She considers all the factors in the perspective of all the sectors involved to come up with a plan on how to
tap support for the implementation of MISOSA. However, the foundation of formulating a good plan for MISOSA
is on his/her ability to integrate it with school records such as: annual report, Phil IRI, SREA, Training Inventory,
School Report Card, etc. The challenge is on how to process the available data to come up with an in-depth
analysis of the school situation to be able to identify and communicate the most crucial problem.

Creativity of Teachers in Difficult Times

Teachers’ ability to adapt in a given scenario and their resourcefulness were a great advantage. With modules
on hand, they became creative to be able to maximize the use of modules to improve school performance.
Moreover, sincerity and devotion to one’s task was a basic precept to succeed in their goal of improving academic
performance. The dedicated teachers were observed by parents and pupils themselves who extend time for doing
remedial teaching, conducting house visits, and can show genuine love and care for the children by monitoring
their individual performance portfolio. Aside from the concern on their schools, these teachers themselves shared
the MISOSA SIMs to their adjacent schools who are experiencing similar situation.

Shared Responsibility on Education Service Delivery

The School Head and teachers believe that their stakeholders would just be as effective partners as they wanted
to be if they are treated well and informed well of the schools plans and programs. Indeed, valuable contributions
have been extended to the school to complement MISOSA like doing classroom repairs on a regular basis,
construction of playgrounds, supporting volunteer teachers, implementing feeding programs, etc. Parents and
other stakeholders were ready to help and provide support for the program, given that they were properly oriented
about the program’s implementation process and goals. Education outcomes are seen, felt and communicated.
This heightened participation and continuous support from the stakeholders.

Regular Consultation Meetings

Consultation meetings and dialogues are one of the best practices in gathering feedback. Model schools have
an active PTA which regularly meets on top of the emergency meetings. These schools maintain a strong
working group among PTA members to discuss issues of common interest or concern, including strategies for
sustainability of homeroom and school programs. Key agenda on MISOSA implementation is the reproduction of
SIMs and how to reach out to parents of children who were not regularly in school.

The use of SIMs is Complemented by other Interventions

To maximize the use of modules, teachers are complementing this with remedial reading classes particularly for
pupils who are non-/slow readers. MISOSA SIMs is a big challenge to slow readers and the regular teachers have
to repeat the lessons for them. The modules are good for independent readers only; hence, for slow readers, the
teachers have to complement the use of SIMs with remedial reading interventions.

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Constraints to Sustainable Implementation of MISOSA SIMs

Reshuffling and Transferring of Trained Staff

Reshuffling of school heads and teachers who were first trained have been commonly observed to be distracting,
if not paralyzing, pilot implementation of MISOSA. After being trained, school heads and teachers usually transfer
without proper turnover of records, responsibilities and re-orientation of what has been previously implemented.
Some guidelines have to be formulated alongside this.

Limited Use of SIMs

While some schools allowed their modules to be sent home for assignments to enhance least mastered
competencies, others were hesitant as they might get damaged or lost.

SIMs Being Prone to Destruction

School stakeholders often worry about the threat of heavy rains on the safety SIMs. In most disaster prone
schools, there will always be the threat on the destruction of SIMs resulting to absence of or extreme lack of
instructional materials. The parents shared that if SIMs can be provided with plastic zip envelopes, they would
not be worried of the materials being prone to getting wet.

Unavailability of SIMs to All Intermediate Grade-Levels

Inhibiting condition is noted with the piecemeal piloting scheme of MISOSA. It was piloted on a by-Grade level in
three different schools by province.

ii) Extent of Replication at the local and national level

The piloting of MISOSA is anchored on some favourable conditions that led to its continued implementation,
although on a limited basis. The dedication and commitment of school heads, teachers, and division supervisors
and coordinators ensured adherence to policy guidelines and directions provided by the central office. This can be
seen in the continued utilization of MISOSA SIMs/Modules. When there was opportunity for support, the Division
Offices provided the direction of adapting the SIMs/Modules to other schools. Policy intervention at the Division
level also ensured replication of effective practices. SBM Fund Grantees for instance were advised to invest in the
reproduction of MISOSA modules. The number of schools that reproduced the modules has expanded.

iii) Partnership Strategy

MISOSA is supported by UNICEF through the provision of training fund and modules. To complement the use of
modules, reference materials, instructional materials and some teaching aids were also provided. DepEd, through
the Regional and Division Offices, provided direction, orientation and training for the school heads and teachers
and conducted regular monitoring visits. Given the assistance provided, pilot schools are able to reach out to their
feeder schools that are now newly complete by sharing the modules and strategy to them. Such new complete
schools are the ones lacking in resources in terms of the lack of teachers, doing classes in makeshift classrooms,
the lack or absence of textbooks, difficulty in reaching the location, students usually starting under the multi-
grade system, etc. These schools are now obviously in a more disadvantageous situation.

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Other essential assistance on feeding and scholarship are likewise extended by NGOs. The closest and most
important partner identified in the frontline delivery of education service is the community and PTA. They are the
closest partners of schools and the key to piloting Off-School and sustaining the In-School Approach. More than
the provision of financial and material contributions is the moral support of parents and community members in
taking care of the school, as shown in their generosity to extend unpaid services to clean, secure and maintain
the facilities as well as to accompany the teachers in advocating child’s rights to education especially during the
harvest season where some Grade 4 to 6 pupils are encouraged to help in the rice field or attend to their siblings
so their parents can work on their farm. When students have to really work due to extreme poverty, pupils who
are at risk of dropping out are being saved through the use of MISOSA modules.

Engaging Multiple Stakeholder Levels During Design Preparation & Implementation

At the central level. DepEd embraces the big strategy towards fulfilling EFA2015 Goals. This will remain an
agenda in all its programs of delivery of education services. Installed policy reforms include decentralization and
improved financial management as well as the active involvement of all partners in basic education, particularly
through the School Based Management (SBM) strategy as embodied in the Basic Education Sector Reform
Agenda (BESRA).

To become responsive to the EFA Goals of universal access to education, DepEd Order No. 53 series of 2011
issued July 13 this year allocated PhP 150 million for the implementation of MISOSA, e-IMPACT and the Multi-
Grade Program in the Philippine Education (MPPE) plus PhP 50 million for the implementation of DORP.

At the Division level. As per interviews conducted6, it appears that Divisions were assigned schemes (MISOSA or
IMPACT) by DepEd Central and then asked to identify schools in which to best pilot the implementation. Schools
for MISOSA were identified using the following criteria: high dropout rate; big class size and poor achievement
rate. DepEd, through its Division offices, then designated organic personnel as CFS/ADM Coordinators to oversee
the program. Researchers noted that apart from being CFS/ADM coordinators, these personnel also have other
duties and responsibilities with the Division. Depending on their capacities, this in turn may affect the level of
commitments or even effectiveness of these persons towards CFSS/ADM tasks, which of course may influence
sustainability of program outcomes. Furthermore, supervisors were asked for commitments in monitoring and
providing technical assistance to school heads and teachers.

At the School level. School heads agreed to be implementers but had no direct participation in the program
design. In addition, researchers noted that MISOSA requires open-minded parents who do not prefer the help of
volunteer teacher roles.

The overall leadership of the school is under the School Head who is both an administrative and instructional
manager. The school leadership has established strong linkages with the stakeholders through regular and special
meetings. Linkages with the Alumni Associations and other Government organizations and NGOs are likewise
being made. The School Head and teachers believe that their stakeholders would just be as effective partners
as they want to be if they are treated well and informed well of the schools’ plans and programs. Valuable
contributions have been extended to the school to complement MISOSA like doing classroom repairs on a regular
basis, constructing playgrounds, supporting volunteer teachers, implementing feeding program, etc. Consultation

6
Davao and North Cotabato CFSS Coordinators

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meetings and dialogue are one of the best practices in gathering feedback from them. The school prepares
quarterly and annual accomplishment reports to record its accomplishments under the four major thrusts of
Student Development, Curriculum Development, Staff Development and Physical Facilities Development. It also
prepares other routine and non-routine reports as requested by other agencies from time to time.

In all aspects of school planning and development, the school management sees to it that appropriate consultations
are done with all the concerned sectors from the stakeholders such as LGU officials and representatives, parents,
teachers, and pupils. General PTA and homeroom meetings are regularly conducted to discuss concerns and
resolve issues and problems arising within the system.

The role of the school head is a key factor toward ensuring collective governance of the school. The problem
arises when there is re-shuffling of school heads and trained teachers without proper turnover of records,
responsibilities and re-orientation of what has been previously implemented.

iv) Contributions of CPC-6 Inputs to the Attainment of the Results at the Project Level

The MISOSA schools were supported by building the capacities of school heads and teachers in implementing the
innovation, particularly: (i) advocacy with children, parents and community members; (ii) provision of teaching
and learning materials; and (iii) on a more selective basis, supporting improvements in physical facilities.

In conjunction with the piloting of MISOSA, elementary schools also adapted the Child-Friendly School System.
Selected teachers implementing MISOSA underwent training led by the Division and Regional Office on Child-
Friendly School System, detailing each CFS Checklist. It should also be noted that the PLGUs also reached
out to the community through the Barangay Council for the Protection of Children and made an advocacy on
Child’s Rights. The piloting of this innovation by grade level is a strategy emanating from BEE and is applied
across covered provinces. To be able to pilot this, UNICEF provided the SIMs/Modules, facilitated trainings
and complemented this with other teaching aids. Orientation-training was conducted by Regional and Division
Supervisors in the school itself. Record on school-specific funding from UNICEF, however, is not available.

The implementation of MISOSA with the help of para-teachers was not continued after two years of implementation
mainly because of the withdrawal of support from the LGUs. This emanated from the change of policy directions in
terms of their priorities given their meager resources. On the other hand, when there was opportunity for support,
the Division Offices provided the direction of adapting the SIMs/Modules to other schools. The number of schools
that reproduced the modules has expanded using their SBM (School-Based Management) fund. Contribution of
school stakeholders was, however, remarkable. Parents, although not so much on monetary contribution, had
given much valuable support in terms of free labor during training and securing the SIMs/Modules.

v) Key Processes Undertaken to Initiate and Implement the Innovation

MISOSA was initiated through the support of UNICEF in the provision of training fund and modules. To complement
the use of modules, reference materials, instructional materials and some teaching aids were also provided.
DepEd’s task, through the Regional and Division Offices, is to provide direction, orientation and training for the
school heads and teachers and conducted regular monitoring visits. The closest and most important partners
have been strengthened, namely the community and PTA. They were regarded as the closest partner of schools
and the key to piloting of MISOSA and CFS system.

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The schools, in coordination with the Division Office, did seek assistance from the Provincial, Municipal and
Barangay LGUs on various concerns of CFS and MISOSA implementation. The schools have received assistance
in terms of physical facilities improvement, demand-side support, provision of advocacy training and learning
materials, compensating volunteer teachers, etc. The schools fully embraced counterpart system of assistance.
The “In-School” cum “Off-School” Approach was generally piloted for two years. Additional MISOSA modules
were made available by DepEd in SY 2010 for all grade levels and were used as supplementary materials in SY
2011-12.

vi) Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats in Adopting and Sustaining the Innovation (SWOT
ANALYSIS)

The strength of MISOSA implementation lies on the high level of acceptability of the use of SIMs among school
stakeholders. Stakeholders comprise the pupils, officers and members of the PTA, local officials (barangay and
municipal), the school heads, and the Division personnel. The pupils, aside from the direct beneficiaries, are also
helping to secure copies of the SIMs/Modules. The PTA takes an active role in maintaining the physical facilities
that keep the SIMs/Modules, while the local officials use their own personal funds to donate money for the
photocopying of missing pages. Parents are enjoined to guide the children on the use of the modules whenever
they are brought home. The school receives technical and instructional assistance from the DepEd’s District and
Division office through the Schools District Supervisor, Promotional Staff and School Divisions Superintendent.

The weakness observed is on the internal system of re-training and re-orientation of the school heads and
teachers. The majority of teachers interviewed for Grades 4, 5 and 6 levels have received no training or
orientation related to MISOSA implementation. Participation of the PTA members during these orientations is
highly advised as they are changed on a regular basis. School heads implementing MISOSA during the first three
years of implementation are already transferred and strategic interventions initiated have not been adopted. Re-
assignment without proper orientation and turnover of responsibilities to new school heads pose sustainability
threat. Manuals, training kits, plans, records, etc. are not kept in schools and have come and gone along with the
pioneering school heads and trained teachers. As for the SIMs, there is the need to revise the modules because
not all competencies from the RBEC are covered. Some competencies included in the NAT are not addressed in
the modules. Given this situation, the Promotional Staff is a rich source of expertise by subject and by grade level
toward the indigenization and enhancement of modules in cooperation with the school teachers.

External opportunity is on the school stakeholders’ acceptance to fully embrace the counterpart system of
assistance as demonstrated by the earlier projects of TEEP and Kalahi-CIDS. As the meager resources of the
LGUs are not at all times directed to the concerns of the school, other essential opportunities on assistance can
be extended by NGOs. This has been exemplified in other education programs on feeding and infrastructure-
based counterpart schemes. NGOs and Foundations are complemented by LGUs whenever a counterpart fund is
required for the construction of classrooms, pathways, and development of playgrounds. This same scheme can
be replicated in the implementation of MISOSA, particularly in the production of SIMs.

External threats, on the other hand, rest on stakeholders’ worry about the threat of heavy rains and strong
typhoons to the safety of SIMs. While some schools can proactively play a key role in disaster risk reduction,
oftentimes they had to succumb to disaster vulnerabilities. In a situation like this, there will always be the threat
on the insufficiency of the modules plus the insufficiency of funds to reproduce them.

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B. e-IMPACT

i) Sustainability of MISOSA at the local level

Sustainability in terms of continuous use of the modules can be done at the school level. Initial modules were
provided by UNICEF and DepEd with expected shelf life of five years. Current modules were provided in 2008
and the implementation of e-IMPACT is still on its third year of implementation. The modules are observed to
be in good condition, meaning pages are intact and printing is still clear and readable. According to teachers of
Culianan LC (the school implemented the first IMPACT program for about 20 years prior to e-IMPACT), shelf
life of the modules can be prolonged by more than 10 years with proper handling and safekeeping. These can
be supplemented by proper instructions on their use. In some schools, parents have agreed to bear the cost
of replacing destroyed modules while in the custody of their children. In the absence of natural and man-made
calamities that will destroy most if not all of the modules, their availability for use is assured. On the other hand,
the contents are also proven sustainable and effective, aside from the physical condition of SIMs, since the
old modules which were based on the old curriculum for a number of years still contributed on the sustained
good NAT performance of Culianan ES. This means that one of the good features of IMPACT which allowed its
continued implementation in spite of changes in curriculum is that the modules are focused on basic competencies
to be developed among learners rather than content.

Corollary to the availability of modules is the presence of dedicated and committed school staff to implement the
ADM. DepEd (being a dynamic organization with frequent transfers, resignations and promotions) must ensure
that replacement staff in these schools have the necessary skills to continue on with the program. Otherwise,
the ADM will succumb to a natural death.

Parents manifested that the implementation of e-IMPACT has assisted their children to grow mentally and
personally – mentally in a sense that they are learning more from the modules and the activities attached to it.
Pupils also acquire personal growth in terms of their leadership development and overcoming their shyness as
manifested in their dealings with peers and adults within and outside the school.

It is acknowledged that the implementation of e-IMPACT involves multi-stakeholders to put resources together
for it to succeed. Parents should be open to the idea that peer-learning is as effective, if not more effective, than
doing solely teacher-led knowledge imparting. Their role in the education of their children is as important as the
role of the teachers. Innovative teachers and school heads who have an open mind to accept changes and go out
of their comfort zones to improve the teaching and learning process are needed to continue on with the program.

ii) Extent of Replication at the local and national levels

Replication of e-IMPACT at the local level was done at a limited scale using local low-cost reproduction of modules
with support from the PTA and LGU and some savings from DepEd. At the national level, DepEd Central Office
issued Department Order #53, Series of 2011, entitled “Guidelines for the Utilization of Funds for Alternative
Delivery Modes in Formal Basic Education”. It enumerated cost items and fund disbursement schedules for each
ADM identified for implementation. E-IMPACT is allotted PhP 72.3 million for its adoption and implementation
in only 19 schools nationwide with PhP 3.8 million pesos allocated for each school. This is a clear resolve of
the DepEd to replicate the ADM in additional schools, but there are 3,800 incomplete schools throughout the
country. If replication at national level is to be deemed cost-efficient, then a cascading training program has to
be implemented so as to lessen the cost per school, and alternative reproduction of modules has to be done to
sustain its implementation.

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 iii) Partnership Strategy

DepEd signed partnership agreements with UNICEF and USAID/EQUALLS to support the implementation of
e-IMPACT in common convergence areas in Mindanao. The two organizations provided support for the production
of modules; training costs of DepEd personnel, school heads and teachers; provision of audio-visual and reference
materials; and the construction of some infrastructure and facilities. This sharing of resources is a laudable
strategy to avoid duplication of activities and unnecessary allocation of resources.

DepEd and UNICEF also partnered with SEAMEO-INNOTECH, a leading research institution in the South East
Area Region in developing innovative ways of education delivery systems and pioneered the implementation of
IMPACT in the 1970s. While piloting was done during that decade and various enhancements were done until
the early 1980s, the adoption and mainstreaming of the ADM was not improved until 2005 when the partnership
among DepEd, UNICEF, INNOTECH and USAID/EQUALLS pushed for the implementation of the ADM in additional
schools (among the expansion schools in 1981, only Culianan LC was included in 2005). INNOTECH enhanced
the previous modules and updated these to conform to the requirements of RBEC. They also served as resource
persons during the conduct of the various trainings related to e-IMPACT.

Partnerships forged at the school level are perhaps the most crucial in the implementation of e-IMPACT. Various
advocacies conducted by the school staff in the communities resulted in the provision of material, financial and
labor contributions for the improvement of the learning environment through the PTA, LGUs, generous individuals
and owners of business establishments. Sponsorships are made available by individuals who provide some
financial assistance for school needs and transportation costs of needy pupils. BLGUs regularly allocate funds
from their internal revenue allotments to support education-related activities and lobby for more support at the
municipal/city government to support the school. More importantly, BLGUs also provide moral support to pupils
and teachers in the learning processes and accompany school heads and teachers whenever they go out to seek
their absent pupils, and during the conduct of various advocacies on child’s rights and education.

iv) Contributions of CPC-6 Inputs to the Attainment of the Results at the Project Level

Policy Advocacy. The initial move of UNICEF/DepEd/INNOTECH to conduct consultative orientation workshops
(with financial support from UNICEF and USAID/EQUALLs) on the ADM to National, Regional, Division, District
and School level officials and personnel provided the foundation for policy advocacy to gain support for the
program at different levels. This was complemented by CFSS orientations involving representatives of different
stakeholders (DepEd and school officials, LGUs, PTCAs and pupil government) that included child’s rights-based
education delivery and learner-centered education. As manifested in the FGDs for parents and BLGUs, most
parents were oriented on child’s rights and learner-centered education and were part of the advocacy of local
governments to develop child-friendly communities (Dumingag municipality of Zamboanga del Sur, where one
e-IMPACT schools and one CFSS-HS are currently piloted, is a hall-of-famer as a child-friendly municipality).

Capacity Building. Division Superintendents, District Supervisors, School Heads and classroom teachers who
are directly involved in the implementation of e-IMPACT were provided supervision and skills trainings on the
implementation processes, instructional teaching on the use of the modules, and development of and administering
evaluative tools to determine the module mastery of pupils. These were all conducted from 2006 to 2008 and
prior to the actual implementation of the ADM. No further trainings were provided after 2008 that is related to
e-IMPACT.

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Undoubtedly, the trainings supported by UNICEF and conducted by INNOTECH provided the necessary knowledge
and skills as inputs to the implementers to adapt a new technology that can provide an alternative delivery of
education services. The strategies learned during these trainings are supplemented by DepEd-initiated trainings to
enhance teaching in specific subject areas and the UBD.

Materials and Supervision Support. All the visited e-IMPACT schools acknowledge that all the modules were
provided by UNICEF in 2008. On a selective basis, some e-IMPACT schools were provided with water and
sanitation facilities; additional reference and instructional materials; and recreational facilities and additional
classrooms provided by UNICEF, LGU, USAID/EQUALLs, the PTA, the community, business establishments,
individuals, formal and informal groups to support CFSS and the ADM.

Supervisory support is regularly provided by USAID/EQUALLS in areas within Mindanao schools through their
field staff who visit the schools regularly. UNICEF also conducts regular semi-annual and annual monitoring visits
to the schools to oversee developments in the conduct of processes and at the same time provide inputs and
encouragements on how to further improve and sustain e-IMPACT.

v) Key Processes Undertaken

Forging of Partnership Agreements Among National Stakeholders. Co-implementation of the ADM was
consummated among DepEd, UNICEF, USAID/EQUALLS and SEAMEO-INNOTECH.

Orientation of Key DepEd “Champions” on e-IMPACT. To initiate the implementation of e-IMPACT, key officials
of DepEd were oriented on the innovation and visited e-IMPACT schools that previously piloted the ADM and are
still implementing it.

Continuous Conduct of Advocacy Activities to Parents, Communities, LGUs and Other Stakeholders on e-IMPACT.
A series of activities were conducted at various levels to gain support for the implementation of e-IMPACT

Training on Instructional Delivery System, Educational Technology Enhancement and Instructional Materials
Development. As per information provided by SH and teachers, all teachers and SH of selected schools were
provided orientation trainings on the conduct of the ADM using the modules and teachers guides.

Development, Printing and Delivery of Modules and other Support Infrastructure and Facilities. Printed modules
were provided to the schools. Audio-visual materials, water and sanitation facilities, reference materials and other
support infrastructures were selectively distributed.

Training on Post Test Development. Workshops were conducted for designated testing coordinators of each
school. They were trained on developing tools to determine the mastery of pupils for all the modules.

Implementation of e-IMPACT. From its initial target of 2006, e-IMPACT was fully implemented in SY 2008-09 in
the schools pre-selected for this purpose with the delivery of modules and teachers guides.

Monitoring and Evaluation. There were no monitoring reports provided to the evaluators at the time of the
assessment period from the Division Office. Records in the schools showed the visitors and their purpose of visit,
but no document showed what was monitored and the results of monitoring or what were the inputs provided
during these visits. It is possible that there were inputs provided (although it is hypothetical) during these visits
but mostly these were stated as observations during the conduct of FGDs with teachers and interviews with SH.

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 vi) Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats in Adopting and Sustaining the Innovation (SWOT
ANALYSIS)

Strengths

Availability of complete modules, teachers guide and supplementary learning materials. Modules and teacher
guides were developed based on the RBEC and are available on a one-on-one basis for both pupils and teachers.
The different approaches for facilitating learning have proven effective in engaging pupils, parents and the
community. The modular learning process supplemented by tutoring (by members of the family, neighbors,
peers, other community members and even by other generous individuals) and self-study is an alternative used in
times when the pupils were hindered from going to school. Its programmed teaching has brought some observed
improvements in children’s leadership and communication skills because of the active engagement of children in
the teaching-learning process as program teachers and peer group leaders, or locally known as “little teachers”.

Dedicated School Heads and teachers. Most SH and teachers interviewed were provided with skills training, and
profess willingness and dedication to implementing e-IMPACT in spite of the required changes in the roles of
school heads and teachers in the teaching-learning process during the course of implementation.

Policy Declarations of DepEd to Support e-IMPACT. DO #243 Series of 2008 and DO #53 Series of 2011 are
supportive of e-IMPACT and ensure availability of funds for its implementation

Supportive Division Superintendents. Some Division Superintendents expressed their desire to expand and
replicate the e-IMPACT in other schools. Caution should be made, however, in identifying expansion schools that
should conform to the set criteria for selection.

Weaknesses

Existing policies and requirements. Full implementation of e-IMPACT principles are hindered by existing policies
on enrolment period and required attendance of pupils in school. RBEC requirements are not supportive of slow
learners. For instance, pupils who are unable to finish the complete modules for a certain level in the span of the
school year are considered repeaters and need to be retained in that level and repeat the whole process in the
next school year. This practice runs contrary to the principle of mastery at one’s individual speed as a basis for
determining progress of learners. Multiple entry and exit is not practiced in schools as pupils are required to be
enrolled only in the first two months of the school year. Pupils are still required to be present in school for at least
80 per cent of the required schooling days. Otherwise, they will be dropped from the roll. As designed, dropouts
and repeaters should no longer exist in e-IMPACT schools.

No established M&E processes at the Division level. Apparent lack of e-IMPACT champions at the Division
give the impression that e-IMPACT schools are left on their own. In most Divisions visited, e-IMPACT is lodged
with the Division CFSS coordinator but has limited knowledge on the ADM. Only a few DS are well-versed on
e-IMPACT.

Implementation in Small Schools. Seemingly, the ADM is difficult to implement in schools with less than 100
pupils (where only 1 “family” can be organized) with a school head and one or two other teachers to implement
the ADM. While multi-tasking is an ideal state, it is not always true when preparatory activities for various roles

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are needed. Ideally, the benefits of e-IMPACT can be maximized with two to three organized families in one
school and having two to three full-time teachers plus the school head to implement the process. One teacher
is to be designated as IS (to supervise programmed teaching for two to three families consisting of levels 1 to
3 pupils), another as a resource coordinator (to supervise peer group learning of two to three families in levels 4
to 6), an itinerant teacher is to conduct classes for activities not covered by the modules, and the SH will serve
as the testing coordinator. In their own designations, other tasks are done such as tutorials for slow learners,
trainings of PGLs and PTs, development of materials, development of evaluation tools, family visits, advocacy,
supervision of learning environment improvements and other tasks. The situation was observed in most treatment
schools visited for e-IMPACT where there is only one teacher and the school head to administer the program.
In most cases they revert back to traditional teaching, dividing the grade levels between them to cope up with
the required mastery needs of pupils. Volunteer teachers are often recruited in these schools to help implement
the process. Otherwise, with less than a hundred pupils, it is claimed by the teachers that it would be less
burdensome to revert back to traditional teaching.

Internal transfer and promotions of trained personnel. Being a dynamic organization, the transfer and promotion
of SH and teachers is inevitable. Caution should be made on the replacement personnel so as not to veer away
from the implementation processes.

Transition to K+12. With the impending transition to the new K+12 set-up, there might be changes in the
elementary curriculum that may need also some changes in the modules currently being used. However, this can
be translated as an opportunity for qualified schools to be identified to implement e-IMPACT on a gradual basis;
that is, starting from Grade 1 programmed teaching and adaptation until full implementation of the process. This
may need further studies to implement it.

Opportunities

Commitments of support by BLGU and PTA. In all e-IMPACT schools visited, the BLGU and PTA expressed their
support for the continuous development of the learning environment and processes.

SEF funds. Some LGUs are presently using their SEF funds to directly support education initiatives through the
construction and repairs of classrooms and payment of volunteer teachers. Advocacy and lobbying to support
e-IMPACT processes remains as an option.

Presence of NGOs, Service Organizations, and Generous Individuals. There are still many service organizations,
both local and international, that can be tapped to support the program to support the innovation. Service
organizations (Lions, Rotary, Rotaract, Green Ladies, religious groups, student organizations and the like) are
willing to support specific activities for education. NGOs, both international and local, have specific programs
favourable to e-IMPACT. In all communities, there are still individuals waiting to be tapped for support.

Threats

One possible threat is the negative perception of parents/communities/LGUs on multi-grade teaching. Some
considered it as a “second-class school” and may push for the conversion of schools into a mono-grade system.
Once converted to Mono, IMPACT implementation may also cease.

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