The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is set to kick off on Friday (March 8) the expanded implementation of its Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program through a ceremonial program launch to be held in Cebu City, an agency official said on Wednesday (March 6).

DSWD Asst. Secretary for Strategic Communications Romel Lopez said the Department will implement the tutoring program, which is the agency’s recalibrated educational assistance, in other regions after its successful pilot run in the National Capital Region (NCR) last year.

“Following the good feedback and success of our pilot run in Metro Manila, we are about to bring Tara, Basa! program to more communities around the country,” Asst. Sec. Lopez, who is also DSWD spokesperson, said.

The DSWD official pointed out that the expansion will cover areas including San Jose Del Monte City; Malolos City; Bulacan Province; Cebu City; Marawi City; Taraka in Lanao Del Sur; Western Samar; General Santos City; and Quezon province. The program will also be implemented in more local government units (LGUs) in the NCR.

As part of the kick-off ceremony in Cebu City, the agency spokesperson said a memorandum of agreement (MOA) will be jointly signed by DSWD Field Office-7 (Central Visayas) Regional Director Shalaine Marie Lucero; Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama;  and  Dr. Daniel Ariaso Sr,  State Universities and Colleges (SUC) President, Cebu Normal University.

The signing will be witnessed by DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian and Undersecretary for Innovations Eduardo Punay.

The MOA will formalize the DSWD-LGU-SUC partnership in implementing the Tara! BASA program in Cebu City.

“The MOA stipulates the duties and responsibilities of the stakeholders in ensuring the proper implementation of Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program in Cebu City,” the DSWD spokesperson said.

With Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program, non and struggling readers in elementary will benefit through the provision of reading sessions, according to Asst. Sec. Lopez.

“Their parents and guardians will also be given cash-for-work (CFW) in exchange for their attendance to Nanay Tatay learning sessions and in assisting their children in preparing their needs for learning and reading and in their after-reading assignments,” the DSWD spokesperson explained.

Under the program, 2nd to 4th year college students will be deployed as Tutors who will teach children beneficiaries to read.

Additionally, Youth Development Workers (YDWs) will facilitate Nanay-Tatay Sessions to provide parents or guardians with parenting guidance.

Asst. Sec. Lopez reiterated that the Tara, Basa!  Tutoring Program is the reformatted educational assistance of the DSWD that creates an ecosystem of learning wherein college students will be capacitated and deployed as tutors to teach poor and non or struggling readers in elementary and as YDWs to conduct Nanay-Tatay sessions. #