CEBU CITY — The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Central Visayas officially launched the “Tara Basa!” tutoring program aimed at assisting non-readers and struggling readers in elementary school.

Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications Romel Lopez announced that the DSWD would roll out the tutoring program nationwide following its “successful” pilot run in the National Capital Region last year.

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

DSWD-7 regional director Shalaine Marie Lucero disclosed to DAILY TRIBUNE that a memorandum of agreement had been signed by DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, and Cebu Normal University president Dr. Daniel Ariaso Sr.

The MoA outlines the responsibilities of stakeholders in implementing the Tara, Basa! tutoring program in Cebu City.

“The MoA stipulates the duties and responsibilities of the stakeholders in ensuring its proper implementation. With this program, non-readers and struggling readers in elementary will benefit through the provision of reading sessions,” Lopez stated.

Under the program, college students from second to fourth year will serve as tutors, teaching children beneficiaries to read.

Additionally, parents and guardians will receive cash-for-work incentives for attending the “Nanay-Tatay” learning sessions and assisting their children with learning, reading, and after-reading assignments.

“Tara, Basa! 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 Youth Development Workers to conduct Nanay-Tatay sessions,” Lopez explained.

The Nanay-Tatay sessions provide parenting guidance to parents or guardians.