With the completion of the pilot implementation of the Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program, Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Tuesday said the agency is ready to collaborate with the Department of Education to support its learning programs geared at reducing illiteracy in the country.

The DSWD chief said Pasig Lone District Representative Roman Romulo, chair of the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture, is supportive of the agency's plan to partner with DepEd to promote literacy.

"Gaya nga ng sabi ni Cong. Roman na all the reforms are there, and gusto lang po naming sabihin sa DepEd na in any of those reforms na kakailanganin ninyo ang DSWD, dahil alam nyo naman na kami yung may konting financial muscle to be able to incentivize beneficiaries, huwag na huwag po kayong mag-aatubili na magsabi kasi we are ready to partner with all your learning programs(As Congressman Roman mentioned, all the reforms are there, and we just want to convey to the Department of Education that in any of those reforms where you may need the Department because you know that we have a bit of financial capacity to incentivize beneficiaries, please do not hesitate to ask because we are ready to partner with all your learning programs.)," the DSWD chief said during the culminating activity for the agency's Tara Basa Tutoring Program on Monday (18 December) at the Rizal High School in Pasig City.

"We would not be able to launch this Metro Manila-wide pilot if it weren't for the support of DepEd. Kaya maraming-maraming salamat po sa inyo. This shows the whole-of-the-government approach na laging isinusulong ng ating Pangulo. Bagama't hindi kami ang may core competency pagdating sa eduksyon, DepEd 'yun, pwede kaming sumuporta sa inyong misyon na mawakasan ang illiteracy sa ating bansa (We would not be able to launch this Metro Manila-wide pilot if it weren't for the support of DepEd. So, thank you very much. This shows the whole-of-the-government approach that our president always advocates. Although education is not within our core competency, that's DepEd's domain, we can support your mission to eradicate illiteracy in our country.)", the DSWD chief added.

Under the Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program, the DSWD was able to assist 31,234 struggling and non-reader elementary learners and another 31,207 parents and guardians through reading and parenting sessions conducted by the trained college students.

The DSWD also provided cash-for-work to some 6,101 2nd to 4th-year college students from select state universities and colleges as well as local government-run universities in the NCR, belonging to low-income families, in exchange for the services rendered.

"We wanted to reformulate our education assistance program pero we needed the technical expertise of DepEd kasi alam nyo naman, we are in the area of social welfare and development at kayo ang may core competency ng edukasyon. But we wanted to make sure na yung ayuda na ibinibigay natin sa mga ga-graduate sa kolehiyo, gusto natin may condition in nation-building(We wanted to reformulate our education assistance program, but we needed the technical expertise of DepEd because, as you know, we are in the field of social welfare and development, and education is your core competency. However, we wanted to make sure that the assistance we provide to college graduates has conditions aligned with nation-building.)," Sec. Gatchalian pointed out.

The DSWD Secretary reiterated that the DSWD will continue the tutoring program in Metro Manila and expand it to the neighboring regions including the province of Bulacan as well as Marawi, and Taraka in Mindanao.

The agency is also conducting capacity building for local government units that expressed interest in launching the tutoring program in their respective areas using the template of the DSWD.

Government officials who attended the Tara, Basa! culminating activities include Congressman Romulo, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, Department of Education National Capital Region Director Jocelyn Andaya, and DSWD Undersecretary for Innovations Edu Punay.

Tara, Basa! tutoring Program is the reformatted educational assistance of the DSWD that creates an ecosystem of learning wherein college students are capacitated and deployed as tutors to teach poor and non- or struggling readers in elementary schools and as youth development workers who conduct Nanay-Tatay reading sessions.