At least 68,000 struggling and non-reader elementary learners, college students, and parents have benefitted from the pilot implementation of the “Tara, Basa!” tutoring program, said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Tuesday, Dec. 12.
“After 20 reading and ‘nanay-tatay’ sessions, the DSWD, through the help of our trained college students, has assisted a total of 31,234 struggling and non-reader elementary learners and another 31,207 parents and guardians,” DSWD Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs Irene B. Dumlao said.
Based on the design of the DSWD's tutoring program, elementary students participated in reading sessions while their parents and guardians were trained to become "nanay-tatay" teachers.
Through the program, parents and guardians received cash assistance worth P235 per day for 20 days by assisting in preparing their children's needs for learning and reading sessions, assisting them in their after-reading session assignments, and attending parent effectiveness sessions, among other related activities.
Dumlao, who is also the agency's data privacy officer and co-spokesperson, said the agency has served 6,101 low-income 2nd to 4th year college students from select state universities and colleges (SUCs) as well as local government-run universities in Metro Manila.
These students received training to be tutors and youth development workers (YDWs).
The student-tutors lead reading sessions for struggling and non-reader elementary learners, while the YDWs conduct nanay-tatay sessions for parents and guardians of the grade school beneficiaries of the program.
In exchange for rendering tutoring and learning sessions, tutors and YDWs received cash-for-work (CFW) amounting to P610 per session.
The Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program will be expanded outside Metro Manila by 2024.
“With the remarkable results of the Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment (CRLA) and Quick English Reading Assessment (QERA) conducted by the Department of Education (DepEd) that showed improvement in children’s reading abilities, the DSWD will bring the tutoring program in some cities and provinces outside Metro Manila,” Dumlao said.