UDM Recognized as Partner Institution in Tara Basa Tutoring Program 2025

By: Dr. Leila R. Gano

The Universidad de Manila (UDM), through the leadership of Professor Rodolfo Martinez of the College of Education (CED), formally participated in the Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program (TBTP) from May 19 to June 14, 2025, in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). UDM deployed qualified 2nd to 4th year college students to serve as tutors and Youth Development Workers, contributing to the dual objectives of the program: to provide educational assistance to struggling Grade 2 readers and to extend financial support to underprivileged college students through a cash-for-work scheme. The university’s engagement focused on three key partner institutions—Lapu-lapu Elementary School, Gen. Vicente Lim Elementary School, and Melchora Aquino Elementary School—where UDM student-tutors facilitated guided reading sessions and coordinated with family heads or guardians involved in the program’s community-based components. This initiative not only demonstrated UDM’s commitment to social responsibility and inclusive education but also reinforced its role in supporting literacy development and student empowerment in the City of Manila. The successful execution of TBTP highlighted the university’s active collaboration with government programs that address both educational gaps and socioeconomic challenges faced by youth in urban communities.