Jea Nicole Jacot and Adi Joaquim Tolentino

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday, March 26, reported its recent recovery of approximately P65 million funds from 54 private schools implicated in irregularities within the Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS-VP), exposing inadequacies in the program’s regulatory and validation mechanisms.

Photo Courtesy of Inquirer.net.

In an official release from DepEd on March 26, Education Secretary Sonny Angara stated that DepEd terminated these schools from the program following allegations of fraudulent claims for School Years (SY) 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 as of the 54 schools, 38 have fully refunded the government, while two made partial repayments. However, 14 schools have yet to comply with refund demands.

“We are taking decisive steps to strengthen our validation processes, hold erring schools accountable, and restore public trust in the SHS Voucher Program,” Angara said.

Angara also disclosed that the discrepancies between billing statements submitted by private schools and DepEd’s Learner Information System (LIS) allowed institutions to claim subsidies for non-existent or "ghost" students.

For SY 2023-2024, DepEd's Investigation Division is currently probing 12 schools, while three other schools flagged by the Government Assistance and Subsidies Service (GASS) are also under parallel investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

The SHS-VP, established to provide financial assistance ranging from P8,750 to P22,500 annually for eligible senior high school students enrolled in private institutions, has been scrutinized as its monitoring systems and poor data validation have reportedly allowed fraudulent practices.

In response, DepEd initiated stricter validation processes, enhanced digital safeguards, and a comprehensive system audit scheduled for SY 2024-2025 of which regional and school division offices are being mobilized to conduct inspections and submit detailed reports to the Central Office.

To prevent similar anomalies from happening, the program also involves collaboration with the Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC) and the establishment of a billing schedule for SY 2025-2026 to streamline the disbursement process.

The PEAC, a third-party organization, administers the voucher program for DepEd.

Recent efforts include “cross-referencing and verification of information and the conduct of 100% system audit” as well as “random field 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.

Moreover, the DepEd has directed its regional and schools division offices to conduct inspections and submit comprehensive reports on their findings to the Central Office.

“Tightening of the validation processes have likewise been implemented to ensure that only eligible learners benefit from the program,” it added.