Angara tightens Senior High School voucher program to curb fraud, ensure student access

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Angara tightens Senior High School voucher program to curb fraud, ensure student access

Francis Orcio,

ABS-CBN News

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Recently appointed Education Secretary Sen. Sonny Angara interacts with employees and guests during the Department of Education Turnover Ceremony at the  DepEd Central Office grounds in Pasig City on July 18, 2024. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/FileRecently appointed Education Secretary Sen. Sonny Angara interacts with employees and guests during the Department of Education Turnover Ceremony at the  DepEd Central Office grounds in Pasig City on July 18, 2024. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA — Education Secretary Sonny Angara on Monday vowed to enforce tighter safeguards and a stricter implementation of the Senior High School voucher program ahead of the school year opening on June 16.

Speaking during the launch of Brigada Eskwela in Malolos, Bulacan, Angara said the revised measures aim to eliminate persistent abuses in the government’s subsidy program that supports qualified students attending private senior high schools.

“Dati prepaid ‘yan eh. Binabayaran [ng DepEd ang eskwelahan kahit wala pang enrollment]. Ngayon, naipapakita na nag-enroll talaga iyong bata bago babayaran,” Angara said.

The overhaul follows revelations earlier this year that DepEd had recovered P65 million from 38 private schools found to have committed irregularities under the SHS voucher program.

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Two other schools issued partial refunds, while 14 more were sent final demand letters. Twelve schools are currently under investigation, and three have been referred to the National Bureau of Investigation for possible fraud charges.

The agency disclosed that fraudulent schemes typically involved "ghost enrollees," where schools falsely claimed students were attending in order to receive government subsidies. Some of these schemes, Angara confirmed, involved insiders within DepEd who leaked student data to unscrupulous institutions.

“May mga numero silang nagagamit. Parang may insider sila dati sa DepEd na nakukuha na lang iyong impormasyon. Nagagamit nila iyong impormasyon ng isang bata para ipakita na kunwari merong naka-enroll na eskwelahan, pero wala talagang nag-enroll na bata,” Angara explained.

Under the new policy, private schools can only be reimbursed after confirming the actual enrollment of voucher recipients.

“Hindi basta-basta maka-claim ng refund dito ang mga eskwelahan. Kung ayaw pang magbayad iyong eskwelahan, pwedeng kasuhan po ‘yan. Pati iyong mga opisyal ng eskwelahan, pwedeng kasuhan dito,” Angara warned.

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The Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations earlier backed DepEd’s reforms, saying tighter targeting of legitimate beneficiaries is critical to safeguarding public education funds and restoring integrity to the voucher system.

During his visit, Angara also acknowledged the continued resource gaps in the public school system, noting that some schools, like the one visited in Bulacan, still suffer from a lack of classrooms and basic facilities.

“Well, sa panig ng DepEd, wala po kaming pondo para sa lote. So usually, mayor ang nagbibigay niyan or local government. Tapos sa national government, iyong construction po ng classrooms,” he said. 


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