The promising Tara, Basa! Program

The Tara, Basa! Program is a valuable resource for improving the reading comprehension skills of Filipino students. It is based on the principles of effective literacy instruction and uses a variety of materials and activities to engage students in the learning process. The program is expected to be effective in improving the reading comprehension skills of Filipino students in public schools initiated by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). This is designed to promote early literacy and improve the reading skills of Filipino children as well as strengthen community support through the tutorial sessions by the learning facilitators trained by education experts tapped by DSWD for this project.

The beneficiaries of the program are the struggling learners in Grade One (1) or those identified to be non-readers from the School Year 2022-2023 or the incoming Grade Two (2) pupils. They were categorized as light refreshers and full refreshers based on the SY 2022-2023 Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment (CRLA) End-of-School-Year (EOSY) results. Positive results of this intervention will be of great help not only for the parents and their children but also for the teachers in Grade Two as poor reading skills will no longer be a problem since the same interferes with the learning process in the classroom activities. The parents and the learners were handed the invitation during the report card distribution where parental consent forms were also given which they would submit back to the Office as part of the documentary requirements.

The program is being implemented in close coordination with the Department of Education. Tara, Basa! is expected to give a significant and positive outcome in literacy after a month of fulfilling hard work and dedication. It forms part of the learning recovery plan due to the learning loss incurred during the pandemic. With this program, the grade one learners who are incoming grade two for the SY 2023-2024, are expected to be at least proficient in reading and comprehension. Since parental involvement is one of the key factors for the success of this reading intervention, DSWD has allocated the funds for the youth and the family who will be involved in the program. It can be said that some reading intervention strategies turned out to be inefficient as parents could not sustain the activities needed by the children because either they do not have the knowledge to do it or they do not have the time to commit to supporting the children.

The strategy that stands out among the others is one-on-one tutoring which the Tara, Basa! Program will utilize. When the parents understood their responsibility and the financial aid that awaited them, they readily gave their consent to experience the teaching and learning process first-hand.

“As a parent, I believe that it is also my responsibility to help my children learn to read. I know that reading is an essential skill for success in school and in life, and I want to do everything I can to give my children a head start. I know that teaching my child to read is a process, and I am committed to providing them with the support they need to succeed,’’ said Mr. Resilva whose son and daughter are enrolled in the Tara Basa! Program.

Here are some of the benefits of the Tara, Basa! Program:

It provides pupils with the skills they need to succeed in school.
It helps pupils develop their language and communication skills.
It helps pupils build confidence and self-esteem.
It helps pupils advance and prepare for the next grade level.

Teaching reading is a complex and challenging task, but it is also one of the most important things that can be done for the children, with the partnership between teachers and parents in the Tara, Basa! Program. It is hoped that the collective effort will yield a significant increase in the reading proficiency skills of the identified learners.

Article Written by:

Mark John Ortiz

Teacher III - San Juan Elementary School