BUZZ BEAT MEDIA

To support learners’ literacy development, the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) have renewed their partnership on implementing the Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program (TBTP).

DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara and DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian signed the memorandum of agreement (MOA) on Friday at the DepEd Central Office in Pasig City.

The Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program was recently declared a flagship program of President Bongbong Marcos Jr. through Executive Order No. 76, s. 2024 signed on November 22, 2024. This aims to address foundational literacy gaps among struggling learners while providing temporary work opportunities for financially challenged college students.

“I know this has been very successful and it was declared a flagship program by Malacañang recently, and we are very happy and fortunate to be part of it and we will do our best to make it succeed,” Sec. Angara noted.

TBTP program targets Grade 1 learners identified as struggling readers or incoming Grade 2 non-readers as its beneficiaries. It includes Nanay-Tatay Teacher Sessions to equip parents and guardians with tools to support their children’s literacy development. These sessions are conducted by pre-service teachers and Youth Development Workers (YDW) in exchange for financial aid and work experience. 

In its first year of implementation this 2024, TBTP reached 120,359 college students, struggling and non-reader elementary learners, and parent beneficiaries.

Through an inter-agency effort among national government agencies, SUCs, LGUs, and other stakeholders, the TBTP aims to reach 207,000 total beneficiaries in 2025.

“This is probably going to be one of the many collaborations with DepEd with the whole purpose of helping kids finish school, learning how to read, and at the same time transitioning, like I said from pure straight-out social welfare to something conditional and developmental,” Sec. Gatchalian said.

In the renewed partnership of the two agencies, DepEd will identify and assess learner-beneficiaries, improve capacity-building design for tutors with Ateneo Center for Educational Development (ACED), provide school venues, and assist in logistical arrangements.

“We are very grateful for this partnership with DSWD, definitely, it will improve the delivery of services with learning and I think the interface with DSWD and DepEd will be very fruitful and productive for our children and young learners,” Sec. Angara noted.

*All Photos from DepEd