ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DSWD cites significant literacy gains among reading tutoring program learners

DSWD cites significant literacy gains among reading tutoring program learners

Published Mar 19, 2026 12:14 pm
Photo from DSWD
Photo from DSWD
More than 70 percent of learners in the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) “Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program” (TBTP) registered significant gains in English and Filipino literacy, the agency said on Thursday, March 19, citing results from the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Bureau of Education Assessment.
The nationwide program reached 55,932 learners across 2,295 elementary schools in 12 regions, with 45,794 incoming Grade 2 students fully assessed in 2025.
Of those assessed, 72.39 percent (33,149 learners) met expectations in Filipino literacy, while 70.08 percent (32,094 learners) achieved the same level in English, showing measurable improvement in early reading skills.
DSWD Undersecretary Edu Punay, also TBTP National Program Director, received the results through a letter from DepEd Assistant Secretary Carmela Oracion.
“The data clearly shows strong upward movement in learners’ reading skills. Many of those who reached the ‘Meets Expectations’ level came from lower proficiency groups, which proves that the program is effective in helping struggling learners improve their reading abilities,” DSWD Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Irene Dumlao said.
According to the evaluation, 21,801 learners in Filipino and 20,013 learners in English moved up to the “Meets Expectations” level. Average scores also increased from 6.04 to 8.19 in Filipino and from 5.77 to 8.23 in English.
Learners were categorized by proficiency to guide support: “Full Intervention” for those needing intensive help, “Moderate Intervention” and “Light Intervention” for those requiring occasional support, and “Meets Expectations”for independent readers.
Retention among learners already at expected levels was high—93.76 percent in Filipino and 95.39 percent in English.
While most learners showed improvement, DSWD acknowledged that those under full, moderate, and light intervention still require continued support, and pledged to strengthen targeted programs to further improve literacy outcomes nationwide.
“This positive result from DepEd proves that Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program is effective and will help prepare the future generation to become globally competitive. The DSWD welcomes this outcome and we commit to ensuring that more children and learners improve their skills, knowledge, and capabilities,” Dumlao said.
“The DSWD will continue to strengthen programs for children as part of our commitment to inclusive development. This is in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., under the leadership of Secretary Rex Gatchalian, to ensure that every Filipino child is given the opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed,” she added.
The TBTP is a restructured educational assistance initiative of the DSWD, designed to promote a holistic learning environment by engaging college students in nation-building while supporting literacy development among elementary learners.
It was launched in the National Capital Region in August 2023 and designated as a flagship government program in November 2024.

Related Tags

DSWD TARA BASA TUTORING PROGRAM DEPED READING LITERACY
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.