Politics · Philippines Bureau
DepEd overpaid P938,000 in senior high school voucher program
The Commission on Audit has identified unverifiable beneficiaries in the Department of Education's senior high school voucher initiative, leading to significant government fund misuse. The audit found that numerous recipients either dropped out or transferred schools without proper documentation.
LSN Philippines ·
MANILA — The Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged the Department of Education for overpaying P938,000 in government assistance through its senior high school voucher program due to unverifiable beneficiaries, according to audit findings released this week.
The COA's examination revealed that several program recipients could not be properly verified as legitimate voucher holders. Many of the flagged beneficiaries had either dropped out of school or transferred to different institutions, yet continued receiving funds without adequate documentation or oversight procedures.
The overpayment represents a significant loss of public funds intended to support deserving students pursuing senior high school education. The audit findings underscore concerns about the program's implementation and accountability mechanisms across participating schools.
The discovery comes as part of the COA's regular audit cycle of DepEd operations and expenditures. The education department has not yet issued a formal response to the audit findings regarding remedial measures or plans to recover the misallocated funds.