THE Department of Education (DepEd) announced on Wednesday that it has recovered an estimated P65 million from schools that were flagged for irregularities in their Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS-VP) claims for School Years (SY) 2021-2022 and 2022-2023.
DepEd revealed that 54 schools have been removed from the SHS-VP program. Of these, 38 have fully reimbursed the government, while two have provided partial refunds. However, 14 schools have yet to return the funds, and DepEd will be issuing final demand letters to ensure compliance.
DepEd stated that a thorough investigation is necessary to determine if these financial irregularities constitute “fraud.”
“We are taking decisive steps to strengthen our validation processes, hold erring schools accountable, and restore public trust in the SHS Voucher Program,” said Education Secretary Sonny Angara.
