104 college students, parents get cash aid from DSWD tutoring program

LUCENA CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Calabarzon has distributed cash assistance to 104 beneficiaries of the Tara Basa! Tutoring Program (TBTP) in Cavinti, Laguna.

In a report released on Thursday, July 2, the DSWD Field Office IV-A said the beneficiaries comprised 25 college students and 79 parents who participated in the program’s 20-day implementation from May 4 to 29.

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Under the TBTP, the college students served as tutors for young learners while also facilitating parenting sessions for their parents.

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In return for their participation, each student received P12,000 in educational assistance, while the parents, who completed the 20-day parenting sessions, received P4,700 each in cash assistance.

“I will use the money to buy my child’s school supplies and also help provide food for our family,” parent-beneficiary Alma Ebit was quoted by the DSWD as saying.

Jean Tablo, a student from Laguna State Polytechnic University in Sta. Cruz town also expressed gratitude for being part of the program.

She said her experience as a tutor enabled her to develop more effective teaching strategies for young learners by balancing instructional activities with recreational exercises to sustain the children’s attention and engagement.

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Cavinti is among the municipalities in the region that implemented the TBTP for the first time this year through a partnership among the DSWD Field Office IV-A, the Department of Education, the local government, and Laguna State Polytechnic University-Sta. Cruz.

Launched in 2023, TBTP supports 2nd to 4th year college students from low-income families, particularly those enrolled in education and social work courses, by giving them cash-for-work compensation in exchange for tutoring elementary school learners with difficulties in reading and comprehension.

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This year, the program was carried out across Calabarzon from May to June, benefiting more than 10,000 learners and parents in Quezon; Bacoor City, Cavite; Calaca, Batangas; and the Laguna localities of Santa Cruz, Cavinti, and Cabuyao.

The DSWD also cited the experience of Margie Arabes, a parent-beneficiary from Pagbilao, Quezon, who observed significant improvement in her child’s reading skills after joining the program.

“He now reads faster, more clearly, and more accurately. He also understands what he reads much more quickly,” Arabes said.

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She added that the parenting sessions also helped broaden her understanding of the importance of actively supporting her child’s education. /jpv