TACLOBAN CITY 鈥� About 1,260 Grade 1 students from different public schools in this city have been identified to undergo tutorials under the 鈥淭ara, Basa (Let鈥檚 go, read)鈥� program of the government.
The program will be implemented in 20 public schools in the city beginning May 19 until June 23 or for 20 days during summer vacation.
Under the program, the identified Grade 1 students considered to be slow readers or with less comprehension in reading are to be mentored by a college student for two hours during the entire program.
The tutors are to be paid P405 daily by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the implementing government agency of the program.
Lily Talagon, principal of the San Jose Central School, welcomed the tutorial program.
鈥淭his is a good program of our government as it aims to improve the reading performance of our students,鈥� she said in an online interview on Sunday.
Talagon said that of her 283 enrolled Grade 1 students, 160 would undergo the tutorial program.
She hoped that by the end of the program, all these students would learn to read with comprehension.
She lamented that there were still students enrolled in higher levels who also lacked reading skills.
The San Jose Central School is one of the biggest learning institutions in Tacloban with聽聽2,204 students.
Imelda Gayas, school principal of the Tacloban City Central School, also expressed her openness to the program.
According to Gayas, the program could achieve its goal considering that it would be implemented during summer and the children had nothing more to do than improve their reading skills.
鈥淭he goal here is to improve their reading level as some are emergent readers or in the transition level,鈥� she said in a separate online interview.
Seventy of 89 Grade 1 students of the Tacloban City Central School have been identified under the Tara, Basa program.
The Tara, Basa program is being implemented in compliance with Executive Order 76 issued by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
It aims to improve the literacy skills of the identified students enrolled in public schools while providing financial support through cash-for-work program for tutors.