The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Tuesday said it has started the first reading and Nanay-Tatay teacher session of the expanded Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program in seven participating regions.

“With the expansion of the Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program, we aim to aid more college students in difficult circumstances to pursue or complete their studies through provision of cash-for-work (CFW) under this reformatted educational assistance program,” DSWD Assistant Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group Irene Dumlao said.

 After the pilot implementation in the National Capital Region (NCR), the agency partnered with the local government units of Regions 3 (Central Luzon), 7 (Central Visayas), 8 (Eastern Visayas), 10 (Northern Mindanao), 12 (SOCCSKSARGEN), and CALABARZON for the expansion of the tutoring program.

For this year’s target, the DSWD is planning to recruit some 10,289 2nd to 4th year college students to serve as tutors and Youth Development Workers (YDWs) to the 85,213 struggling and non-reader incoming Grade 2 students who have been pre-selected. 

Tutors will conduct 20 reading sessions for the struggling and non-reader elementary learners while the YDWs will hold Nanay-Tatay teacher sessions for parents and guardians of the grade school beneficiaries from 1 to 26 July.

Tutors and YDWs will receive cash-for-work (CFW) based on the regional daily minimum wage in exchange for their rendered tutoring and learning sessions. 

Dumlao, who is also the DSWD spokesperson, said tutors and YDWs are from select state universities and colleges and local government-run universities, and belonging to low-income families.