A total of 344,998 college students from poor households, elementary learners who are struggling or non-readers and their parents and guardians have benefitted from the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program (TBTP) since its launching in August 2023.
“This figure reflects the DSWD and President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s commitment to ensuring that all sectors, from children, youth, to parents, will not be left behind in development while also providing cash assistance in exchange for the work or tasks they do in the program,” Undersecretary Edu Punay of the DSWD’s Innovations and Program Development Group (IPDG) said on Monday (December 22).
From 2023 to 2025, 34,981 2nd to 4th year college students belonging to low-income families and enrolled in state universities and colleges (SUCs) and local government-run universities have been deployed as tutors and youth development workers (YDWs) under the TBTP.
In exchange for rendering tutorial service to elementary students and their parents for 20 days, these tutors and YDWs received cash-for-work (CFW) based on the prevailing regional wage rate.
In 2025 alone, 128,568 tutors, YDWs, grade school students and their parents benefited from the program.
One of those is Amanda Jean Lopez, a YDW from Pangasinan in Region 1 (Ilocos Region). Lopez said the Tara,Basa! went beyond its primary role, highlighting the program’s impact to bring change in the community.
“Ang Tara, Basa! ay hindi lamang tulong pinansyal sa akin kundi nagsilbi ring daan para makita ko ang tunay na karanasan ng mga magulang at mas mapalalim ang aking pag-unawa sa kanilang hamon ng buhay. Nakita ko rin ang kahalagahan ng programa na hindi lamang nakatuon sa pagtuturo kundi sa pagbibigay ng pag-asa, suporta, kaalaman at pagbabago,” Amanda Jean said.
According to Undersecretary Punay, who is also the National Program Director of the TBTP, the Tara, Basa! is being implemented in Regions 1 (Ilocos Region), 3 (Central Luzon), CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, 5 (Bicol Region), 7 (Central Visayas), 8 (Eastern Visayas), 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula), 10 (Northern Mindanao), 12 (SOCCSKSARGEN), Caraga, the National Capital Region (NCR), and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Several innovations and enhancements were also introduced to widen the reach and improve the implementation of the TBTP.
Director Elma Salamat, the Deputy Program Manager of the TBTP, said the program partnered with different institutions, including local government units (LGUs), the academe, and development sector to expand the program’s reach.
“Mayroon tayong nilagdaan na 110 memorandum of agreements ngayong taon para maipatupad natin ang Tara, Basa! sa iba’t ibang munisipalidad at sa iba pang organisasyon para maabot din natin ang mga kabataan na nasa geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs), urban poor communities at sa madrasahs,” the deputy program manager said.
The TBTP is a reformatted educational assistance initiative of the DSWD that promotes a holistic learning environment by engaging college students to be part of nation building. (YADP)
