The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has started releasing the cash-for-work (CFW) payout for parents and guardians of struggling and non-reader elementary learners under the Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program, with more than 57,000 expected beneficiaries nationwide.
“Sa programang ito, hindi lang po CFW ang natatanggap ng ating mga magulang at guardians. Nabibigyan din sila ng pagkakataon na maging bahagi sa paghubog ng kinabukasan ng kanilang mga anak,” Undersecretary Edu Punay of the DSWD’s Innovations and Programs Development Group (IPDG) said on Monday (August 11).
In the National Capital Region (NCR) alone, around 17,000 parents and guardians are expected to receive the CFW assistance.
The payout has already started in municipality of Pateros and the cities Marikina, North Caloocan, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, and San Juan.
The DSWD’s Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program beneficiaries have also received their CFW assistance in Regions 1 (Ilocos Region), 5 (Bicol Region), 7 (Central Visayas), 8 (Eastern Visayas), 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula), 10 (Northern Mindanao), 12 (SOCCSKSARGEN), CALABARZON, and Caraga.
Payouts in Regions 3 (Central Luzon) and MIMAROPA are set within the month of August.
Undersecretary Punay said the program also aims to encourage families to actively support children in improving their reading skills.
“Ang mga magulang po ang unang guro ng kanilang mga anak. Naniniwala po tayo na kapag may suporta mula sa magulang, mas mabilis ang pagkatuto ng bata. Kaya malaking tulong ang ginagawa ng mga magulang dito sa Tara, Basa!,” Undersecretary Punay said.
Under the Tara, Basa!, program, parents and guardians of struggling and non-reader elementary learners are required to attend Nanay-Tatay teacher sessions, which are facilitated by trained youth development workers (YDWs).
Tutors, on the other hand, teach struggling or non-reader elementary learners to enhance their reading and comprehension skills.
Tutors and YDWs are 2nd to 4th year college students belonging to low-income families and those enrolled in state universities and colleges (SUCs) and local government-run universities.
Each parent or guardian will receive a CFW worth Php235 per Nanay-Tatay teacher session attended. Parents and guardians who completed the 20-day sessions will receive Php4,700.
The Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program is the DSWD’s reformatted educational assistance program, in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd). It was declared a flagship program by the President through Executive Order 76 signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on November 22, 2024. (YADP)
