The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) announced on Thursday that it will extend its Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program to five additional regions in 2025, with the goal of assisting 138,407 individuals. This expansion targets struggling and non-reader elementary students, their parents or guardians, and college students from economically disadvantaged families. The initiative, which has been praised for its impact on both students and their families, will now reach the Ilocos Region, Bicol Region, Zamboanga Peninsula, Mimaropa, and Caraga.
Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao highlighted the positive feedback received from participants, noting that the program’s cash-for-work component is seen as an additional benefit. In the newly included regions, the program aims to serve 19,343 beneficiaries, including 16,820 elementary students and their guardians, and 2,523 college students who will be trained as tutors and youth development workers.
In its second year, the program has already supported 10,608 college students through tutoring and parenting sessions, and 61,805 parents and guardians through the ‘Nanay-Tatay Teacher’ sessions. Additionally, 62,418 grade school students have benefited from the tutorial sessions. The DSWD plans to continue the program in other regions including the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Soccsksargen, and Calabarzon.
The Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program, recognized as a flagship initiative by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. through Executive Order 76, will run its sessions from May to June. This program is a collaborative effort involving the DSWD, Department of Education, Department of the Interior and Local Government, National Youth Commission, and Commission on Higher Education.