BUZZ BEAT MEDIA

Committed to upholding transparency and accountability, the Department of Education (DepEd) is pursuing an internal probe into alleged abuses in the Senior High School (SHS) Voucher Program. The DepEd has now tapped the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to launch an independent investigation. 

Eight months into his term, Education Secretary Sonny Angara rallied the Central Office to inform the public of anomalies in the program. He authorized the Executive Committee to pursue all legal and administrative actions necessary to protect the program’s integrity and prevent future irregularities.

“We will ensure that the SHS Voucher Program remains a tool for educational access, not a loophole for fraud. We are strengthening safeguards, reinforcing accountability, and making sure only rightful beneficiaries receive assistance,” Secretary Angara said.

DepEd also assured lawmakers of its full cooperation in addressing concerns regarding the program’s implementation during a House committee hearing last Wednesday, March 19.

Multi-layered verification against fraud

To prevent future irregularities, DepEd is implementing stricter measures and enhanced validation protocols. The verification process now involves multiple layers, beginning with cross-checking data between the Voucher Management System (VMS) and the Learner Information System (LIS) to ensure that learners listed in the billing statements are genuinely enrolled in the school.

The second level of validation is conducted at the Central Office (CO), where discrepancies between billing statements and LIS records are flagged. If inconsistencies are found, payments to schools are withheld until the issues are resolved.

A post-billing monitoring process follows, conducted by the Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC), which oversees participating schools on the ground. The final layer of verification is DepEd’s post-validation review, ensuring all prior verification processes have been completed before payments are made.

DepEd has also engaged Regional and Schools Division Offices (ROs/SDOs) to conduct school inspections and submit detailed reports to the Central Office, a measure implemented in SY 2024-2025. Additionally, PEAC validation for the second semester is set to begin next month.

School monitoring has also been expanded, with the percentage of schools undergoing evaluation increasing from 10% to 20%.

Future steps

DepEd is set to upgrade the LIS to include an audit trail to track all changes, automatic email alerts for data updates, and a system that maintains a complete learner history.

In addition, DepEd is reviewing proposals for the recognition of SHS private schools to further refine program implementation.

As investigations progress, DepEd reaffirms its commitment to transparency and assures its full cooperation with Congress, the NBI, and other relevant authorities in holding accountable those responsible for any wrongdoing.

*All Photos from DepEd