DepEd-6: No ‘Ghost Learners’ in SHS Voucher Probe

By Mariela Angella Oladive

The Department of Education (DepEd) Region 6 has confirmed that no cases of “ghost learners” have been reported in Western Visayas amid a national probe into the alleged misuse of the Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS-VP).

“We have not monitored such an incident here in the region, and we are happy that all of our private schools are adhering to the guidelines set by DepEd and other agencies,” DepEd-6 information officer Hernani Escullar Jr. said in an interview on Feb. 19.

Escullar noted that the regional office has yet to determine the exact number of students benefiting from the voucher program.

Western Visayas currently has 968 private schools, including those in Negros Occidental.

The SHS-VP provides financial assistance ranging from PHP14,000 to PHP22,500 to incoming Grade 11 students from public junior high schools enrolling in private senior high schools.

Students from private junior high schools who are not covered by DepEd’s Education Service Contracting Program may also apply for vouchers.

DepEd Investigates Misuse of SHS-VP

DepEd recently revealed that it is investigating 12 private schools for allegedly listing non-existent students as SHS-VP beneficiaries.

A Rappler report identified the schools under investigation, which belong to nine Schools Division Offices (SDOs):

• National Capital Region – SDO Quezon City (1 school)
• Ilocos Region – SDO Pangasinan (2 schools)
• Central Luzon – SDO Bulacan (3 schools), SDO Tarlac (1 school), SDO Pampanga (1 school)
• Calabarzon – SDO Rizal (1 school)
• Eastern Visayas – SDO Northern Samar (1 school)
• Davao Region – SDO Davao del Sur (1 school)
• BARMM – SDO Maguindanao (1 school)

Education Secretary Sonny Angara stressed that DepEd will not tolerate any misuse of public funds and is gathering evidence to revoke the accreditation of implicated schools.

Senate Calls for Stronger Billing System

Meanwhile, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, urged DepEd to strengthen its billing system to prevent fraudulent claims.

He noted that DepEd’s crackdown on ineligible SHS-VP recipients aligns with findings from the Senate inquiry into the Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (E-GASTPE) Law.

Between School Year (SY) 2020-2021 and SY 2022-2023, discrepancies involving 11,825 beneficiaries resulted in a projected refund of PHP310.04 million, with PHP239.3 million still unreturned.

To prevent future irregularities, Gatchalian urged DepEd to enhance learner validation and ensure timely payments under the SHS-VP.

He also criticized private schools that prioritize voucher allocations over education quality and reiterated his push for the Government Assistance to Private Basic Education Act (Senate Bill 2911) to decongest public schools and strengthen financial aid for private school students. (With reports from Rappler and PNA)