After 2 years, DepEd yet to release new guidelines for SHS voucher program

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) has not released its new guidelines for the Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS VP), two years after issues hounding the program were tackled in a Senate hearing.

Under the SHS VP, the DepEd will provide a financial subsidy for Grades 11 and 12 learners to attend private schools, decongesting public schools. The aid, ranging from P8,750 to P22,500 a year, comes in the form of vouchers that are paid directly to the learner’s chosen private school.

During the Senate basic education committee inquiry on Tuesday, January 20, Senator Win Gatchalian called out DepEd for the delay in the issuance of the new guidelines.

“In my opinion, hindi seryoso ang DepEd para ayusin itong problema natin sa (DepEd is not serious in fixing our problem with the) voucher program,” said Gatchalian who had led inquiries about the issues hounding the SHS VP in 2024, when he chaired the Senate basic education education committee.

“Ganoon ba kabagal ang DepEd para ayusin ang problemang matagal nang pinag-uusapan? These problems are not new,” he added.

(Is DepEd that slow in fixing a problem that’s been discussed for a long time?)

DepEd is targeting to issue the new guidelines in the first quarter of the year.

More issues

During the 2024 Senate hearing, the DepEd had committed to release new guidelines to address several issues including the “ghost” students scheme, in which a school claims subsidy for a non-existent student.

At the Tuesday hearing, Gatchalian cited data from the Annual Poverty Indicators Survey that 67% of SHS VP beneficiaries from school year 2024-2025 are not considered poor.

He also noted that there are beneficiaries who are enrolled in private schools with a tuition fee of at least P100,000, based on Commission on Audit findings.

Since February 2023, DepEd has terminated 55 schools from the SHS VP due to questionable claims.

Gatchalian said the issues could be addressed with a “proper program design” which includes a mechanism that will ensure quality of education services.

In response, DepEd Director for Finance Tara Rama said it has been difficult for the department to issue guidelines “sweepingly.”

“It’s on finalization…. We have to run it with them [private schools] ‘yung (the) guidelines. We also have to review — two [DepEd] offices will have to review it,” Rama said.

While the crafting of new guidelines is still underway, Rama said the DepEd and Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC) have been implementing a five-layer validation mechanism starting school year 2024-2025 to ensure that the program will not be abused.

The five layers are:

• Validation of learners prior to billing creation in the Learner Information System (LIS) through Application Programming Interface integration
• Validation of billed learners in the LIS by Government Assistance and Subsidies Service
• PEAC post-audit monitoring conducted
• Validation by DepEd regional offices and schools division offices
• PEAC validation of SHS VP billings for the second semester

Learners from non-congested schools accepted

At the hearing, Senators also learned that even students from schools that are not congested are accepted in the SHS VP Program.

Senator Raffy Tulfo asked: “Bakit ‘nyo tatanggapin ‘yung mga estudyante na mag-apply sa inyo going to private school eh there’s no congestion? ‘Di ba ang idea is to decongest public schools na maraming estudyante?”

(Why would you accept students who applied to go to private schools if their school is not congested? Isn’t the idea behind the program to decongest public schools with many students?)

Rama replied, “Puwedeng wala rin pong mismong public schools na near sa location nila.” (It may be that there are no actual public schools near their location.)

Private basic education voucher assistance bill

During the discussion on the bills seeking voucher assistance in basic education, or from kindergarten to SHS, the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) urged the DepEd to ensure strategic targeting to decongest classrooms.

Based on the analysis conducted by the Education Center for AI Research, there are about 536,057 aisle elementary students in public schools in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Northern Mindanao — the most congested regions. Aisle students refer to those who do not have a permanent seat or classroom due to lack of facilities.

In private schools in the same regions, there are 136,573 available seats for elementary students.

EDCOM 2 Executive Director Karol Mark Yee said if all private schools are considered under the proposed bill, up to 22.5% or 121,036 of students can be accommodated. If only schools offering educational service contracting (ESC) will only be considered, only 9.4% or 50,399 of students can be accommodated.

ESC is a DepEd partnership program in which “excess capacities of certified private junior high schools are ‘contracted’ through slot allocations for students who would otherwise have gone to public schools.”

“It is important that plans for voucher expansion be formulated strategically alongside — and not distinct — from efforts on classroom construction, repair, and leasing, currently being developed by DepEd,” Yee said.

“Data shows that voucher expansion can provide urgent relief in the most congested regions, especially in schools with double, triple and multishifts.” – Rappler.com