PASIG CITY -- Promoting reading to recover learning losses, the Department of Education (DepEd) forged their partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to launch ‘Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program on Wednesday in Rizal High School.
‘Tara, Basa!’ Tutoring Program is a holistic social welfare and development program that aims to help elementary learners who have difficulties learning to read or cannot read yet to improve their foundational reading skills while offering short-term work and learning opportunities for financially challenged college students.
“Our 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,” Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines and Secretary of Education Sara Z. Duterte said.
“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,” she added.
Meanwhile, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the reformatted educational assistance program will give college students P500 a day for 20 days in exchange of being tutors or youth development workers and will provide P235 per day for parents who will attend the teaching sessions.
In the cash for work program, university or college students may serve as a tutor to struggling readers or youth development workers who will train the parents to become Nanay-Tatay Tutors to their children at home.
VP-Sec. Duterte expressed her gratitude to the young volunteer tutors for sharing their time and knowledge to the learners, for being selfless, and for loving their fellow Filipinos and their country.
“We hope to see more and more Filipinos like you. Filipinos who also see that investing in our children is investing in the future,” she noted.
In addition, hearing and vision screening will also be conducted to participating learners through the assistance of the private partners to ensure that their eyes and ears are healthy and will not hinder their learning and reading skills.
During the launch, DepEd and DSWD also sealed their partnership through signing a Memorandum of Agreement as witnessed by DepEd NCR Regional Director Wilfredo Cabral, DSWD Usec. For Innovations Eduardo Punay, Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo, and Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto. (DSWD)
