The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has begun distributing payouts for beneficiaries of the “Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program” in Metro Manila.

DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao said Friday that the program benefits 5,220 college students who served as tutors and 1,084 Youth Development Workers (YDWs), parents, and guardians of elementary school students in the National Capital Region (NCR).

“The amount college students receive for the 20 reading and parenting sessions is based on the prevailing minimum wage rate in the NCR,” said Dumlao, also the assistant secretary for Disaster Response and Management Group.

She added that student teachers will receive the equivalent of the NCR’s minimum wage for 20 days.

Meanwhile, 40,676 parents and guardians of struggling and non-reading elementary students will receive cash-for-work amounting to P235 per day for attending the 20 Nanay-Tatay teacher sessions.

The “Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program” is a reformatted DSWD educational assistance program that creates a learning ecosystem. College students from low-income families facing difficulties are trained to become tutors and YDWs.