The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program has expanded to Kidapawan City in Cotabato province that will benefit 600 elementary learners and engage 120 new tutors and 60 Youth Development Workers (YDW) from public colleges and universities.
This is in addition to the 165 college students and 550 elementary learners and parent/guardian beneficiaries who were already enrolled in the Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program (TBTP) under the DSWD’s Field Office – 12 (SOCCSKSARGEN).
“The declaration of the Tara, Basa! as the flagship program of the national government by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., through Executive Order No. 76, highlights the importance of literacy and community involvement in nation-building. We are proud to see Kidapawan City taking the lead in localizing this effort, showing that when LGUs invest in education, entire communities benefit,” Director and Deputy Program Manager Elma Salamat of the DSWD’s TBTP said on Wednesday (June 11).
The new tutors and YDWs have underwent capability-building training in preparation for their deployment at the start of the school year on June 16.
This move makes Kidapawan City the first local government unit (LGU) in the country to independently implement TBTP using its own funds.
“These college students are now deployed to teach struggling or non-reader elementary learners in the city, while also promoting values and active parental participation,” Director Salamat said.
According to the deputy program manager, the program has a “three-generational impact” as it supports children’s literacy, provides youth with opportunities, and empowers parents to become active partners in their children’s education.
The adoption of Tara, Basa! in Kidapawan City was made official during the city government’s flag-raising ceremony on April 21, where the DSWD formally turned over the program through its Technology Transfer model.
The event also featured the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the City Government of Kidapawan, the Department of Education (DepEd) – Kidapawan City Division, and the University of Southern Mindanao – Kidapawan City Campus (USM-KCC).
“We commend our counterparts in the DSWD Field Office 12-SOCCSKSARGEN for facilitating the local rollout of the program, coordinating technical assistance, module turnover, and stakeholder engagement. Personnel from the FO also served as facilitators and resource persons during the five-day capability-building training, ensuring alignment with national guidelines and quality implementation of the localized version of TBTP,” Director Salamat said.
In its third year of implementation, the DSWD’s tutoring program is targeting a total of 138,407 individuals composed of college students, incoming Grade 2 learners and their parents or guardians.
The Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program is the DSWD’s reformatted educational assistance in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd).
It is a conditional program that gives cash-for-work (CFW) to college students, based on the prevailing regional daily minimum wage rate, in exchange for rendering 20 tutoring and learning sessions. (YADP)