MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Education (DepEd) announced Monday that it is now opening the registration for Accreditation and Equivalency test takers from July 4 to August 2 for the exams to be administered in October this year in 17 regions nationwide.
Administered by its Bureau of Alternative Learning System, the DepEd said the A&E is a paper and pencil test which used to be known as the non-formal education test.
Education Secretary Armin Luistro also announced that the test may also be given to visually-impaired test takers via Braille.
"This is part of our continuing push to give the differently- abled learners an equal access to education.
"It is designed to measure the competencies of those who have neither attended nor finished elementary or secondary education in the formal school system," Luistro said.
Passers of the A&E are given a certificate/diploma, signed by the DepEd secretary, certifying the passers’ competency as comparable to the graduates of the formal school system.
The A&E for takers in Regions 9, 10, 11, 12, CARAGA and ARMM is on Oct. 6.
For test takers in Regions 5, 6, 7 and 8, is slate on Oct. 13.
Regions 1, 2,3 and Cordillera Administrative Region A&E takers is set on October 20 while it is October 27 for the National Capital Region, Calabarzon (Region 4-A) and Mimaropa (Region 4-B).
Targets of the A&E are school drop-outs, those who have not attended the formal school system, homeschoolers, or others who have not finished basic education but are basically literate.
The DepEd is providing for free the A&E registration, administration, and certification.