THE Department of Education (DepEd) yesterday said 89 private schools are currently under investigation over “ghost” beneficiaries under the Senior High School (SHS) Voucher Program, up from the previous 65.
DepEd Undersecretary for Legal and Legislative Affairs Filemon Ray Javier said they would file criminal complaints against three private schools in the National Capital Region in connection with the SHS voucher anomaly.
Last month, the department filed a cybercrime complaint before the Pasig City Prosecutors’ Office against several individuals involved in what it said was the “illegal manipulation” of its Learner Information System to allow the entry of ghost beneficiaries to the SHS voucher program.
“The total number under investigation is 89. They are scattered all over the country, not only in one region,” Javier told True FM station.
“This week, there are two others,” Javier said, adding they think the case is more criminal in nature rather than a clerical error.
He said they have also included in the complaint three former DepEd contractual personnel from the National Capital Region (NCR).
“But they are no longer connected to the department. They left the DepEd even before the issue came out in public.”
Javier also assured the public that the SHS students currently enrolled in these three schools would not be affected or their learning derailed.
“They did not commit any crime or have knowledge about the irregularity. They will just be transferred to legitimate private schools,” he explained.
Javier said the DepEd has already recovered P78 million and expects the amount to reach P100 million.
“We will file cases against those who refused to return the money,” he added.
The DepEd Central Office initiated an investigation in February regarding the alleged “ghost” senior high school students under the SHS-VP program.
In a Senate hearing last year, the Commission on Audit said “ghost” students refer to those who were named twice or more in billing statements made by private schools.
DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara even tapped the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct an investigation for the possible filing of criminal charges against those involved.
To prevent a recurrence of such irregularities, Angara said the department, in coordination with the Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC), has implemented actions to further enhance oversight and accountability starting the school year 2024-2025.
Among these actions are cross-referencing and verification of information and the conduct of a 100 percent system audit as well as random field visits to participating private schools.
The SHS-VP and Educational Service Contracting (ESC) programs are the two major assistance and subsidy programs of the DepEd for public school students who want to transfer to private schools due to overcrowding in the former.
