MANILA, Philippines –The Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday, March 26, announced the recovery of approximately P65 million from the Senior High School (SHS) voucher program amid irregularities, with 38 private schools fully refunding the government.
The DepEd also said that 14 schools have yet to return the funds, and final demand letters will be issued to ensure compliance.
The 38 schools are among 54 terminated from the SHS program following the discovery of irregularities. Further investigation is needed to determine whether these actions involved fraudulent transactions, including the initially flagged presence of “ghost students.”
“We are taking decisive steps to strengthen our validation processes, hold erring schools accountable, and restore public trust in the SHS Voucher Program,” DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said.
In February, the DepEd flagged 12 private schools for the alleged presence of “ghost students” in its SHS voucher program. The department also noted that three more schools have been referred to the National Bureau of Investigation for a parallel probe into the same scheme.
SHS voucher is a government financial subsidy program for qualified senior high school students (Grades 11 and 12). It provides assistance in the form of vouchers ranging from P8,750 to P22,500 per year, paid directly to the student’s chosen private school.
It remains unclear whether the 12 schools initially flagged by the DepEd are among the 38 schools that have returned the funds to the government.
The DepEd said it has implemented measures to prevent irregularities in its SHS voucher system, including “cross-referencing and verification of the system” and “random visits to participating private schools.”
“Further measures are set to be implemented in the coming months, including PEAC’s validation for the second semester, scheduled to roll out next month, and the establishment of a billing schedule in SY 2025-2026 to streamline the disbursement process,” the DepEd said.
The Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC) is a third-party group that the DepEd contracted to administer the voucher program. – Rappler.com