The Department of Education (DepEd) announced on March 26 that it has successfully recovered approximately P65 million from the Senior High School (SHS) voucher program after identifying irregularities. A total of 38 private schools have fully refunded the government following their termination from the program, which came after investigations into suspected issues.
The DepEd also revealed that 14 schools have yet to return the funds, and demand letters will be issued to ensure compliance.
These 38 schools are part of 54 institutions that were removed from the SHS voucher program due to the discovery of irregularities. Further investigation is still needed to determine whether fraudulent actions, such as the presence of ‘ghost students’, were involved.
“We are taking decisive steps to strengthen our validation processes, hold erring schools accountable, and restore public trust in the SHS Voucher Program”, says DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara.
In February, the DepEd flagged 12 private schools for allegedly enrolling “ghost students” in the SHS voucher program. Three additional schools have been referred to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for further investigation into the same issue.
The SHS voucher program provides financial assistance to qualified senior high school students (Grades 11 and 12) in the form of vouchers ranging from P8,750 to P22,500 per year, paid directly to the students’ chosen private schools.
It is not yet clear whether the 12 schools initially flagged are among the 38 that have refunded the funds.
To prevent future irregularities, the DepEd has implemented measures, such as cross-referencing and verifying data within the system, and conducting random visits to participating private schools. The department also outlined further steps to improve the process, including PEAC’s validation for the second semester, set to begin next month, and the creation of a billing schedule for the 2025-2026 school year.
The Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC), a third-party group contracted by the DepEd, administers the voucher program.
