DSWD, DepEd launch tutoring program for students struggling, unable to read

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Education (DepEd) launched on Wednesday a tutoring program that would provide financial aid to underprivileged college students by teaching grade schoolers who were struggling or unable to read. 

Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte and DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian signed the memorandum of agreement for the "Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program" at the Rizal High School in Pasig City. 

Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte and DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian sign the memorandum of agreement for the launch of “Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program” here at the Rizal High School in Pasig City. @gmanews @gmanewsbreaking pic.twitter.com/RisaYD5l44

— Giselle Ombay (@giselleombay_) August 2, 2023

The initiative was a reformatted educational assistance program of the DSWD, aiming to help struggling or non-readers from Grade 1 to Grade 2 who are vulnerable or affected by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and, at the same time, give assistance to third- and fourth-year college students from low-income families who will teach the children. 

Under this program, college students who volunteer to become tutors and youth development workers will receive P570 per day for 20 days in exchange for their rendered service.

Duterte said that this was a response to the challenge of supplemental learning through tutoring outside of the hours designated for classroom learning. 

“Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program offers valuable learning opportunities to our young learners and university or college students. Our early grade learners will experience, embrace, and love reading and the magical world of written and spoken words. The amount of knowledge and wisdom that they will be able to collect from reading is beyond imagination,” she added.

Meanwhile, Gatchalian said that the pilot run of the tutoring program would be conducted in the National Capital Region (NCR) for the remainder of 2023 and may be expanded to other regions in the coming years.

He said nearly 6,000 third- and fourth-year college students from local and state universities have signed up for the program, and each of them will handle 10 children and teach them for two hours per day.

Around 63,000 grade school learners from public schools are expected to benefit from the program. 

Aside from tutoring, youth development workers will also conduct "Nanay-Tatay Teacher Sessions" for parents and guardians regarding effective parenting. 

Topics include understanding oneself as a parent, the dynamics of the Filipino family, challenges in parenting, child development, and children's rights, among others.

Participating parents or guardians of struggling or non-reader elementary learners will receive P235 per day for 20 days by helping their children prepare for their learning and reading sessions, assisting them in their after-reading session assignments, and attending parent effectiveness sessions. 

“Alam natin na ang unang guro ay ang magulang sa tahanan. Dito sa programang na ‘to, lalahok rin ang magulang sa pamamagitan ng Nanay-Tatay Teacher program. Tutururan natin sila na maging unang mga guro sa kanilang mga tahanan. Kapalit no’n, may makukuha silang financial assistance para makatulong sa gastusin ng mga bata na lalahok sa tutoring program,” Gatchalian said.

(We know that the first teachers should be the parents at home. In this program, parents will also participate through the Nanay-Tatay Teacher program. We will teach them to be the first teachers in their homes. In return, they will get financial assistance to help with the expenses of the children who will participate in the tutoring program.) — VBL, GMA Integrated News