THE Cavite State University (CvSU) Bacoor City Campus, in cooperation with the City of Bacoor government and the Department of Education (DepEd) in Bacoor City, forged a partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on "Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program" (TBTP) held in a ceremony on June 3, 2024.

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, DSWD Undersecretary Eduardo Punay, Bacoor City Mayor Strike Revilla, Bacoor City Vice Mayor Rowena Mendiola, and CvSU Vice President for Academic Affairs Ma. Agnes Nuestro led the signing of the memorandum of agreement (MoA) to formalize the partnership and the implementation of TBTP in the City of Bacoor.

Other CvSU officials present at the MoA signing were Vice President for Research and Extension Melbourne Talactac, Vice President for Administrative and Support Services John Xavier Nepomuceno, and CvSU Bacoor City Campus Administrator Menvyluz Macalalad.

TBTP is the reformatted educational assistance of the DSWD that aims to help and provide assistance to college students from low-income families who are in difficult

situations and assist the struggling or non-reader grade school learners who are vulnerable, at risk, or affected by the effects brought by the Covid-19 pandemic.

"This program is the Department's contribution to strengthening social protection programs for the vulnerable sectors, especially Filipino children and the youth," Gatchalian said.

"Through Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program, the goal is to increase the involvement of college students from low-income families in nation-building while helping them in completing their tertiary education," he added.

The college students who were capacitated by the DSWD to become tutors and youth development workers receive cash for work amounting to P570 per day for 20 days in exchange for their rendered service.

The DSWD's financial aid aims to defray school expenses of college students such as transportation expenses, school supplies, school projects, allowances and other related expenses.

As tutors, college student beneficiaries conduct reading tutorial sessions to help Grade 1 students who are either struggling or non-readers. Children must belong to low-income households and enrolled in public schools.