A youth development worker tutoring parents and guardians in one of the learning sessions under ‘Tara Basa!’ Tutoring Program of DSWD-7. (Photo courtesy of DSWD-7)
CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) — More underprivileged and struggling learners in public elementary schools in Central Visayas are expected to benefit from the ‘Tara Basa!’ tutoring program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
This prospect emerges after the DSWD Central Visayas regional office (DSWD-7) increased the program’s target beneficiaries from 3,761 last year to 6,143 incoming Grade 2 learners from low-income families enrolled in public elementary schools.
DSWD-7 has also increased the number of tutors and youth development workers under the said program this year to 2,000, from only 676 last year.
‘Tara Basa!’ empowers college students by training and assigning them as tutors to assist disadvantaged or struggling readers in public elementary schools.
The students also serve as youth development workers who facilitate the Nanay-Tatay learning sessions for the parents of the students.
College students tapped by the program are provided with cash for work assistance at P500 per day for a 20-day cycle.
The program will run from May 19 to June 13, 2025.
Two types of beneficiaries
Ojharra Catherine Manlosa, DSWD7 information officer for ‘Tara, Basa!’, said the program aims to help two types of beneficiaries: the tutors and the learners.
“Our primary beneficiaries are 2nd to 4th year college students who will be trained as tutors and youth development workers, while our secondary beneficiaries are those incoming grade 2 learners and their parents or guardians,” Manlosa added.
This year, DSWD7 targets to train 1,229 tutors who are 2nd to 4th year college students who belong to poor or low-income families based on the Listahanan database or the local government units’ assessment and 615 youth development workers.
The tutors will teach the elementary learners while the youth development workers will teach the parents or guardians so they can sustain their children’s learnings at home after the reading sessions.
Training of trainers
In preparation for this year’s program implementation, a total of 30 trainers were trained during the Regional Training of Trainers for Learning and Development of Tutors and Youth Development Workers from March 19 to 21.
“We sent these trainers to the National Training of Trainers, and after that, they will cascade the teaching methodologies and skills that they have acquired here in our regional training,” said Manlosa.
The trainers will serve as the pool of resource persons who will train the college students who will serve as the tutors and the youth development workers who will instruct the parents and guardians.
DSWD7 has set the training for the tutors and youth development workers in the region from April 21 to 30.
“We will first train our tutors, who will teach our learners. And then, as for the learners and parents, who will be the beneficiaries, they will register with the Department of Education,” explained Manlosa.
DSWD7 is also set to sign a memorandum of agreement with the schools, agencies, and institutions involved in the ‘Tara Basa!’ program. (RGC/PIA7 Cebu)
