The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD)Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program, which is a brainchild of Secretary Rex Gatchalian, will begin on Monday (May 19) its third-year of conducting tutorials among grade schoolers and Nanay-Tatay teacher sessions for their parents and guardians.
“The DSWD is now ready for the expanded Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program. We have been
conducting several capacity building and training sessions for college students who will be deployed as tutors and youth development workers (YDWs) to ensure that they are ready to teach struggling or non-reader elementary students and their parents or guardians,” Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao, the DSWD spokesperson, said on Thursday (May 15).
According to the DSWD spokesperson, a total of 138,407 individuals composed of college students, incoming Grade 2 learners and their parents or guardians, are expected to benefit from the tutoring program.
“There are more than 12,000 tutors who will work with over 60,000 learners nationwide, and 6,019 YDWs who will facilitate Nanay-Tatay teacher sessions for more than 60,000 parents. With the increase in the number of beneficiaries, we are hoping to bring greater impact and empower more Kabataan sa Bagong Pilipinas” Asst. Secretary Dumlao explained.
For School Year 2025-2026, the Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program will be rolled out in the following regions: Region 1 (Ilocos Region), Region 3 (Central Luzon), Region 5 (Bicol Region), Region 7 (Central Visayas), Region 8 (Eastern Visayas), Region 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula), Region 10 (Northern Mindanao), Region 12 (SOCCSKSARGEN), CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Caraga, the National Capital Region (NCR), and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) through DSWD Field Office 10.
Since its launching in 2023, the Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program has served more than 197,000 college students, elementary learners, and their parents or guardians.
Asst. Secretary Dumlao noted that the DSWD, in collaboration with education experts, has enhanced the Nanay-Tatay teacher modules for YDWs and for parents or guardians, the guidebook for tutors, and the workbook for learners.
“With these improvements and expanded coverage, we are positive that the Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program will make an even greater impact in bridging literacy gaps and empowering families through education,” the DSWD spokesperson said.
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.
The tutoring program was declared as a flagship program of the national government by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr, through Executive Order 76 signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on November 22, 2024. (YADP)