MANILA — The Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) launched Wednesday a program to help grade school students who are struggling to read.

In the "Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program," college students will teach incoming Grade 2 students how to read.

DepEd Secretary and Vice President Sara Duterte and DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian signed the memorandum of agreement for the program at Rizal High School in Pasig.

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According to Gatchalian, three groups would benefit from the program: some 63,000 incoming Grade 2 students, their parents or guardians who will receive P235 per day by assisting their children with the reading sessions and other related activities, and about 6,000 third and fourth-year college students who will receive P570 per tutoring day as a form of cash for work.

The program will be tested in Metro Manila for 20 days from August 15, and may be extended depending on the feedback.

In her speech, Duterte thanked those who made the program possible. She said this was one of the ways by which DepEd is fulfilling its promise to provide students with modern and quality education.

She also expressed gratitude to the college students who were willing to share their knowledge.

Bheng Male, mother of a seven-year-old girl, said the program would help her daughter who still struggled to read.

Rebekah Esther Cruz, a third-year student at the University of Makati, said aside from being able to earn money, tutoring would help her develop her skills since she is pursuing teaching.

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