The Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday said it had recovered P65 million from private schools flagged for irregularities in the Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS-VP) claims for School Years (SY) 2021-2022 and 2022-2023.
In February, DepEd opened an investigation regarding “ghost beneficiaries” of the department’s voucher program wherein private schools have been suspected of claiming subsidies for non-existent students.
In a statement, the DepEd said 38 out of the 54 schools terminated from the SHS-VP have fully refunded the government, while two have made partial refunds. The department announced that final demand letters will be sent to 14 schools that have yet to return the funds, urging them to comply.
For SY 2023-2024, 12 schools are currently under probe by the DepEd Investigation Division. In addition, around P200 million government subsidies for the said SY were withheld due to “questionable” claims from private schools.
Three schools flagged by the Government Assistance and Subsidies Service (GASS) have also been forwarded to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for parallel investigation.
“We are taking decisive steps to strengthen our validation processes, hold erring schools accountable, and restore public trust in the SHS Voucher Program,” Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” M. Angara said in a press release.
The SHS-VP is a financial assistance program for senior high school students wherein subsidies, in the form of vouchers, are given to VP-participating schools, the Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC) said on its website.
Starting SY 2024-2025, DepEd, in coordination with PEAC, plans to tighten the validation process to prevent the recurrence of irregularities. The department said it will implement cross-referencing and verification of information, conduct a 100% system audit, and random field visits in participating schools.
“The Department assured stakeholders that it will continue strengthening its oversight mechanisms to uphold integrity and fairness in private school participation in the government’s education subsidy programs,” the DepEd said in a statement. – Almira Louise S. Martinez