Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian and Vice President and Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd) Sara Duterte officially launched the pilot implementation of the Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program at the Rizal High School in Pasig City on Wednesday (August 2).
Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program, the reformatted educational assistance of the DSWD, aims to help and provide assistance to college students from low-income families who are in difficult situations, assist the struggling or non-reader grade school learners who are vulnerable, at risk, or affected by the effects brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, and capacitate parents and guardians to become ‘Nanay-Tatay teachers’.
“Sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon ay nagsanib pwersa ang DSWD at DepEd upang tulungan ang mga mag-aaral sa elementarya na hirap o hindi pa marunong magbasa; mga mag-aaral sa kolehiyo na may pangangailangan upang makapagpatuloy o makapagtapos sila ng kanilang pag-aaral; at mga magulang at buong pamayanan na may mahalagang tungkulin sa paghubog ng kakayahan ng mga bata sa pagbabasa,” Secretary Gatchalian emphasized.
(For the first time, the DSWD and DepEd have joined forces to help those elementary school students who are struggling or non-readers; college students who have a need to continue or complete their education; and parents and the entire community that have an important role in shaping children’s reading skills.)
For the pilot implementation, more than 6,000 college students and over 63,000 Grade 1 learners and parents and guardians will benefit from the program.
Tutors and Youth Development Workers (YDWs) who volunteered to conduct reading and Nanay-Tatay teacher sessions are from 20 state and local universities and colleges while the elementary learners are from 490 elementary schools in the National Capital Region (NCR).
The tutoring program will be piloted in the NCR cities of Caloocan, Valenzuela, Malabon, Navotas, Manila, Mandaluyong, Makati, Pasay, Las Pinas, Quezon City, Marikina, San Juan, Pasig, Taguig, Paranaque, Muntinlupa and in the Municipality of Pateros.
Vice President Duterte lauded Secretary Gatchalian and the DSWD personnel for developing the tutoring program that will help hone the reading skills elementary students, who are under the supervision of DepEd.
“Uunahin ko po muna ang ating pagpapasalamat. Nagpapasalamat po ako sa ating Secretary ng DSWD at lahat po ng mga personnel ng DSWD para po sa kanilang programa na pagtulong sa ating mga mag-aaral na makapagbasa, programang Tara, Basa!,” Vice President Duterte said.
(I thank the Secretary of the DSWD and all the personnel of the DSWD for their Taraa, Basa! Tutoring program that will help our students how to read.)
“Ang programang ito ay nagpapakita na kapag ang ating gobyerno ay agresibo, determinado, at mahusay na pinamumunuan, marami tayong magagawa. Malayo ang ating mararating at sasalubungin natin ang ating kinabukasan na puno ng inspirasyon, pag-asa, at posibilidad,” the Vice-President pointed out.
(This program shows that when our government is aggressive, determined, and well-led, we can accomplish a lot. We have a long way to go and we will face our future full of inspiration, hope, and possibility.)
Secretary Gatchalian and Vice President Duterte also signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to signify the official launching of the tutoring program.
Poor college students as tutors, dev’t workers
Through Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program, the DSWD will engage second to fourth-year college students who belong to low-income families and capacitate them to become tutors and Youth Development Workers.
The tutoring program aims to increase the involvement in nation-building of poor college students and those enrolled in state or local universities and colleges, while helping them in completing their tertiary education.
As tutors, college student beneficiaries will conduct reading tutorial sessions to help Grade 1 students who are either struggling or non-readers. Children must belong to low-income households and be enrolled in public schools.
YDWs will conduct Nanay-Tatay teacher sessions for parents and guardians on effective parenting with topics such as understanding the self as a parent, dynamics of the Filipino family, challenges in parenting, child development, and children’s rights, among others.
Tutors and YDWs will receive cash assistance worth 500 per day for 20 days from the DSWD through a cash-for-work scheme, in exchange for their rendered service. The financial assistance aims to aid the school expenses of college students such as transportation expenses, school supplies, school projects, allowances, and other related expenses.
“Sa pamamagitan ng ating cash-for-work program, ang mga mag-aaral sa kolehiyo ay bibigyan ng 500 pesos kada araw sa loob ng dalawampung araw, bilang kapalit ng kanilang pagiging tutor at youth development workers,” Secretary Gatchalian said.
(Through our cash-for-work program, college students will be given 500 pesos per day for 20 days, in return for being tutors and youth development workers.)
Parents, guardians as Nanay-Tatay teachers
To strengthen the family and community support systems of elementary learners who are struggling to read or are non-readers, parents and guardians of the elementary student-beneficiaries, who are the first teachers to their children, will have to attend Nanay-Tatay teacher sessions.
Parents and guardians of struggling or non-reader elementary learners will also receive cash aid worth Php 235 per day for 20 days by rendering assistance in preparing the needs of their children for learning and reading sessions, assisting them in their after-reading session assignments, and attending parent effectiveness sessions as well as other related activities.
“Ang mga magulang o guardian na dadalo sa “Nanay-Tatay teacher” sessions ay makatatanggap din ng Php 235 kada araw sa loob ng dalawampung araw. Bilang mga unang guro sa inyong mga anak, tungkulin ninyong mga magulang at guardian na gabayan sila sa kanilang pag-aaral,” the DSWD chief pointed out.
(Parents or guardians who attend the “Nanay-Tatay teacher” sessions will also receive Php 235 per day for 20 days. As the children’s first teachers, it is your duty as parents and guardians to guide them in their studies.)
Improving reading proficiency
The DSWD chief added that apart from teaching struggling or non-reader Grade 1 learners to read, the DSWD will also provide eyeglasses and hearing aids to those students who will be assessed with visual and hearing impairment.
“Katuwang din natin ang pribadong sektor sa pagsasagawa ng hearing at vision screening para sa mga bata upang tiyakin na malinaw at walang problema ang kanilang mga mata at pandinig, na maaaring sanhi ng hindi pagkatuto sa pagbabasa,” Secretary Gatchalian said.
(We also partner with the private sector in conducting hearing and vision screening for children to ensure that their vision and hearing are clear and have no problems, which may be the cause of the children’s struggle in learning how to read.) #
