To continuously strengthen knowledge and understanding of the program, the Regional Program Management Office (RPMO) of Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program under the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office 7 – Central Visayas conducted a year-end assessment and planning workshop on the same date in Cebu City.

All program staff, including those deployed in the field during the 2024 implementation, attended the event.

The agenda included an in-depth reorientation, a review of the 2024 implementation and accomplishments, an introduction to the enhanced guidelines for the 2025 implementation, and a planning workshop to improve operations and decision-making for the following year.

The enhanced guidelines for the 2025 implementation include a better tutor-to-learner ratio for incoming Grade 2 students who are struggling or non-readers, making sessions more tailored to individual needs. They also provide for an improved ratio of youth development workers to parents in the Nanay-Tatay Teacher Parenting sessions, an increased number of target beneficiaries, and the addition of new partners. These changes will allow the program to expand across various local government units in Cebu Province, including Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu cities.

During the workshop, staff had the opportunity to present their observations from the 2024 implementation and propose solutions, suggestions, and recommendations for further enhancing the program.

These included recommendations on the hypothetical division of school assignments per local government unit, addressing grievances, scheduling the delivery of program kits and workbooks, and finding ways to streamline documentation processes to minimize errors in master lists and payrolls.

The colleagues critiqued and reviewed the output of each team to ensure alignment with program goals.

The conduct of Tara, Basa!’s Year-End Assessment and Planning Workshop provided a platform for collaboration wherein invaluable insights and innovative strategies were shared. This activity was a pivotal step toward refining and aligning efforts with the objectives of the 2025 rollout.

The event also highlighted the passion and dedication of all Tara, Basa! staff, including the RPMO, in improving the lives of beneficiaries from low-income families and enhancing the literacy and reading proficiency of struggling and non-reading learners enrolled in public schools across Cebu.

The Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program is the DSWD’s reformatted educational assistance initiative that fosters a learning ecosystem. It equips college students as tutors for underprivileged and struggling readers in public elementary schools and as youth development workers to lead Nanay-Tatay (mother-father) learning sessions. ###

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