The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Bicol (DSWD-5) reported significant improvements in the reading skills of early-grade learners through its Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program (TBTP), raising Filipino literacy by 77 percent and English literacy by 148 percent among beneficiaries.
DSWD-5 Regional Director Norman Laurio said the program helped Grade 1 pupils who required light, moderate, or full intervention in reading. Based on the Department of Education’s (DepEd-5) assessment, the number of students meeting reading expectations in Filipino increased from 780 to 1,381, while those in English rose from 580 to 1,441.
For Filipino reading, students needing full intervention dropped by 66 percent, from 110 to 37; moderate intervention decreased by 62 percent, from 520 to 200; and light intervention reduced by 38 percent, from 594 to 368.
In the English reading assessment, students needing full intervention decreased by 91 percent, from 66 to six; moderate intervention dropped by 82 percent, from 648 to 116; and light intervention reduced by 40 percent, from 690 to 414.
Laurio praised the efforts of college students serving as tutors and youth development workers (YDW) under the program’s cash-for-work component. “For 20 days, they worked hard and persevered to be guides for children who struggle to read, and they also worked alongside parents who are their children’s first teachers and supporters,” he said.
From 4,545 target beneficiaries, the program served 4,556, including 601 college tutors and YDWs, 1,950 parents, and 2,005 learners. Tutors and YDWs received P8,300 each for three hours of daily work, while parents earned P235 per day, totaling P4,700 for the 20-day program.
Overall, the government invested more than P13 million in the Bicol Region to improve literacy, support families, and create opportunities for youth employment.