TO HELP more students, the Department of Social Welfare and Development signed a partnership with the Provincial Government of Bulacan and selected State Colleges and Universities concerning the Tara, Basa! Tutoring program implementation.

The DSWD and the local government signed the Memorandum of Agreement on Tuesday (19 March 2024) led by DSWD Undersecretary for Innovations Eduardo Punay.

Punay emphasized that the program provides a good learning opportunity for college students to participate in nation-building by helping young children to properly read and guiding parents on how they can improve the reading proficiency of children at home.

“Hindi po tayo papayag na ang kabataan dito sa bayan ng mga maka-kata ay hirap magbasa. Kaisa po tayo ng ating pambansang bayani na si Gat Jose Rizal sa paniniwala na ang kabataan ay pag-asa ng bayan, kaya nararapat lamang na ating siguraduhin na ang kanilang kaalaman at kahandaan para sa isang maunlad na Bagong Pilipinas,” Punay said.

According to DSWD, the Tara, Basa! tutoring program is a reformatted educational assistance that creates an ecosystem of learning wherein college students will be capacitated and deployed as tutors to teach poor and struggling readers in public elementary schools and as Youth Development Workers to conduct Nanay-Tatay learning sessions.

The tutoring program will also be launched in Quezon Province, Western Samar, Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, and General Santos City.