Misplaced education aid

In principle, the senior high school voucher program (SHS-VP) is a good initiative. It recognizes the persistent problem of overcrowded public schools and provides a creative and pragmatic solution: allowing students to enroll in private schools with available capacity, with the government subsidizing part of the cost.

In practice, however, the Commission on Audit’s (COA) latest report reveals that the program seems to have drifted far from its original intent in recent years. Findings for school year 2023 to 2024 show that there are voucher recipients enrolled in elite private schools charging up to P317,314 a year. Since vouchers cover only up to P22,500, those voucher students can presumably afford to pay the remaining balance of P294,500. One unnamed school with an annual tuition of P195,753 received P22.77 million worth of vouchers for 1,208 students.

A parent who can afford to pay P180,000 or P300,000 is unlikely to enroll their child in a public school in the first place. This means that a big amount of public funds allocated for SHS vouchers is flowing toward families who do not necessarily need them, taking away much-needed support from the low-income learners who should have been prioritized for the program.

COA’s audit also identified the inclusion of “ghost students” in the SHS-VP for school years 2022 to 2023 and 2023 to 2024, with some names appearing multiple times within the same school or across different institutions. These findings highlight weak verification systems and insufficient monitoring, rendering the program vulnerable to inefficiencies, fraud, and corruption.

At the core of these failures are two interconnected problems. First, the absence of strong guardrails has allowed the program to be exploited. Second, there has been a failure to ensure that benefits are systematically directed to those with the greatest financial need. If we are serious about educational equity, then assistance must go where it is most needed, not where it is easiest to distribute.

To his credit, since taking over the Department of Education, Secretary Sonny Angara has taken crucial steps to address these challenges. DepEd has ordered 54 private schools to return government funds after irregularities were found in their SHS-VP claims. Thirty-eight schools have fully refunded the amounts, two have made partial refunds, while 14 schools have yet to comply, prompting DepEd to issue final demand letters. Around P65 million has been recovered so far. Additional schools are under investigation, with some cases referred to the National Bureau of Investigation.

While DepEd acknowledges that some of these irregularities may have stemmed from clerical errors, Angara has stated that criminal cases will be pursued against those involved in outright fraud. To prevent the recurrence of “ghost students,” DepEd has also been working with the Private Education Assistance Committee to establish real-time monitoring and auditing systems that enable full verification of voucher recipients.

Better targeting and wider access to program information are also necessary. Families who are more digitally literate and more familiar with private school systems are far more likely to know how to apply. Meanwhile, parents from the neediest schools may not even be aware that such assistance exists. Information campaigns should focus on the most overcrowded public schools and the poorest communities. Guidance counselors and school administrators in those areas must be equipped to explain the program and to actively assist families in navigating the application process.

There should also be a tuition fee cap for participating schools. If public money is being used to subsidize private education, the state has a legitimate interest in setting reasonable limits. A tuition cap that is reviewed and adjusted every four or five years for inflation would help ensure that the vouchers are genuinely increasing access, rather than subsidizing well-to-do families.

Such a cap would not punish private schools. On the contrary, it could strengthen a sector that is often overlooked: mission-driven, low-cost private schools that serve lower to middle-income families. These schools often serve as informal pressure valves for nearby, overcrowded public schools. Since these low-cost private schools operate on thin margins, a well-designed voucher policy could be an important lifeline for them.

Many deserving Filipino families have benefited from the voucher system. With targeted outreach, firm guardrails on participation, and efficient monitoring systems, the SHS-VP can still fulfill its original promise. Done well, it would not only ease public school congestion more quickly than building new facilities, but also expand educational options for families who would otherwise have none.

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eleanor@shetalksasia.com