DepEd Implements Multi-Layered Safeguards for Voucher Program Amid Fraud Exposure

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) has enacted reforms to prevent fraudulent claims in its voucher programs, Sec. Sonny Angara said on Monday, after a corruption scheme involving the assistance initiative was exposed last year. At a congressional budget hearing, Angara said his agency had implemented a validation system consisting of “five layers,” including cross-checking student information in its database and audit visits to private schools to verify voucher claims. The Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC) also has taken a bigger role in administering the voucher system, stepping up oversight of schools to crack down on fraudulent claims, he added. “There were admittedly not too many safeguards before,” Angara told lawmakers. “Now, we’ve instituted many safeguards at various levels.” DepEd’s voucher program, launched in 2015 to ease overcrowding in state schools, allows beneficiaries to enroll in private institutions using vouchers worth P14,000 to P22,500, depending on location. READ: More ‘ghost’ stories: DepEd sues schools in voucher scam The fraud scheme was exposed last year, leading to a congressional inquiry that uncovered the scope of the racket. More than 60 schools were involved in the scheme, and DepEd had withheld about P200 million in subsidies for more than 20,000 “ghost students” in the school year 2023-2024. Angara said DepEd now checks each claimant’s identification in the agency’s information system “to confirm that learners are actually enrolled in the school.” He added that the agency’s central office reviews each school’s billing statements, and funds are not released “until issues are resolved.” In the past, DepEd paid voucher claims without verification, Angara said. “PEAC also became active here because they see that a lot of the violators are not the traditional schools, but some of these new schools which sprouted out in the wake of the K-12 reform,” he added. He said PEAC now holds “post-audit visits” to private schools, alongside inspections by DepEd’s regional office and school divisions for further checking. “And lastly, at the end-of-school year, PEAC… conducts a final validation at the end of the school year to confirm the learner is still enrolled,” Angara said. DepEd also had secured a conviction against a school engaged in the scheme, according to the education secretary. He did not elaborate. “There will be a deterrent effect… I think people will think twice before doing this modus operandi,” said Angara. /cb