Philippines

EnglishConnect in the Philippines

Summary

July 31, 2018

*This summary applies to EnglishConnect 1, EnglishConnect 2, and Learn English Now only.

The Area President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Philippines, Inc., a Philippine corporation sole (“APC”), can carry out the EnglishConnect program in the Philippines. The EnglishConnect program will be part of the Self-Reliance activities already taking place in the

Philippines. APC may issue OGC-approved certificates of completion to participants who successfully complete EnglishConnect courses. We recommend that APC provide a disclosure to each participant that EnglishConnect courses will contain religious content, that they will not carry accredited value, and outlining the cost (if any) of EnglishConnect course materials.

The EnglishConnect program in the Philippines was reviewed by local counsel. Based on that review, it should be operated with the following country-specific guidelines:

• The number of EnglishConnect participants who are Church members should generally be equal to or greater than the number of participants who are not Church members.1

• Volunteers leading EnglishConnect courses in the Philippines should avoid referring to themselves as “teachers” or “instructors” 2

In addition to the country-specific guidelines above, the program should be operated in the Philippines according to the following general program guidelines:

• No mass media advertising of the program targeting the general public:

○ I.e., no newspaper, radio, or broadly distributed social media advertising;

○ Handbills, posters, announcements in Church, or “pass-along” cards are acceptable.

• Obtain parental consent for each student 18 years old or under (using the parental consent form attached as Appendix A):

○ Obtain both parent signatures where possible;

○ If someone 18 or under is actually living on their own, parental consent is not needed.

• Do not charge any fees or costs to the participants for program participation:

○ Program materials can be provided for free (by on-line download where possible) or purchased through regular distribution channels by local units or directly by participants.

• At least one-third of all teaching must contain substantial religious content (i.e., religious content should take up 20 minutes of each hour of instruction or 30 minutes of each 90 minutes of instruction).

• Follow all local country standards for the vetting and calling of teachers of youth for any EnglishConnect teacher who will be teaching anyone under 21.

We believe that the EnglishConnect program is consistent with APC’s articles which specify that its activities must be “for the benefit of the members of the Church.” Increasing the ratio of members to non-members will help maintain this consistency. If APC strives to achieve this guideline and if the program is not widely advertised to individuals who are not members of the Church (see the first general guideline), we are confident that the program is justified as a religious/missionary effort under APC’s stated purposes.

In offering EnglishConnect, the APC would not normally be seen as an “educational institution” under Philippines educational regulations. Avoiding use of educational terms like “teacher” or “instructor,” in combination with the language on certificates and in EnglishConnect materials stating that the program is not accredited, confirm this conclusion.