The Department of Education (DepEd) has terminated 55 private schools from its Senior High School (SHS) Voucher Program due to discrepancies in billing information, an official confirmed on Thursday.
During a House Committee on Basic Education and Culture hearing, DepEd Project Manager III Tara Rama revealed that since February 2021, a total of 55 schools have been removed from the program due to inconsistencies in their billing data and the Learners Information System (LIS).
Breakdown of Terminated Schools
“We started terminating, we had 22 schools for SY 2021-2022. In February 2023, we terminated another 32 schools for SY 2022-2023… For 2023-2024, we already have one terminated and under investigation po ang another 12,” Rama stated.
When asked about the amount of withheld funds due to questionable claims, Rama said that DepEd has held back at least P200 million in funding.
“Starting SY 2023-2024, ito ‘yung ginawa natin sa Department of Education—when the private schools submit their billing statements, before natin binabayaran, dinadaan natin sa LIS. Kapag ang billing statement ay ‘di tumugma sa LIS, ‘di natin siya dinisburse. Hinold natin ang payment,” she explained.
(Starting SY 2023-2024, DepEd began verifying private schools’ billing statements against the LIS before making payments. If the billing statements do not match the LIS, the funds are not disbursed. Payments are put on hold.)
“For SY 2023-2024, around P200 million ang ‘di natin ni-release kasi may discrepancy (For SY 2023-2024, we withheld about P200 million because of discrepancies),” she added.
Discrepancies in Enrollments
Rama also pointed out that some private schools claimed vouchers for students who had already transferred to public schools.
“May ganu’ng mga situations. Nationwide, ‘yun ang na-hold because of discrepancy. We cannot say for sure na ito ay ghost students lahat,” Rama said.
(There are such situations nationwide where funds were withheld due to discrepancies. We cannot say for sure if all of them were ghost students.)
Congressional Probe Into Alleged ‘Ghost Beneficiaries’
In February, House Assistant Majority Leader Jil Bongalon called for a congressional inquiry into reports of “ghost beneficiaries” in the SHS voucher program.
This came after DepEd confirmed that 12 private schools across nine divisions had allegedly submitted fake enrollees to claim vouchers.
Potential Losses and Purpose of the SHS Voucher Program
DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara previously estimated that P52 million in government funds may have been lost to fraud in School Year 2023-2024 alone.
The SHS Voucher Program was introduced to provide financial assistance to qualified students enrolling in private senior high schools, aiming to decongest public schools, improve teacher-student ratios, and expand educational opportunities aligned with students’ career goals.
With the tightened verification process, DepEd continues to ensure accountability and prevent fraudulent claims in the program.
