'NO GHOST STUDENTS'

As DepEd plans to strengthen its investigation into private schools, Davao Christian High School has expressed full confidence in its compliance with government regulations.

In an interview with Hillstar, Mrs. Michelle Tejada, school registrar, noted that the school has consistently passed the assessments of Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC) regarding the Education Service Contracting (ESC) program and the Senior High School (SHS) Voucher program.

The said assessment is part of the government’s measures in making sure that transparency and accountability is upheld in the implementation of its voucher programs. 

DepEd said it would heighten its validation process on private schools after a certain school was found with 98% of its alleged students actually being enrolled in different schools.

Director of DepEd’s government assistance and subsidies office, Atty. Tara Rama, stated they caught the school’s activities through the verification of the students’ learner reference numbers in DepEd’s learner information system.

A March 2025 report by Philstar revealed that DepEd has terminated 55 private schools from the SHS voucher program since 2021 due to inconsistencies in their billing information and learner information system, with 12 private schools currently under investigation for allegations of “ghost students” under the program.

"Ghost students refer to beneficiaries that do not have school records or do not attend classes anymore, and unqualified students. [Some are] unqualified because they're supposed to apply via the voucher application program, but they did not apply. Private schools then categorize them as automatic grantees," Rama told Philstar.

DepEd also halted the release of P200 million in SHS voucher subsidies last year because of “questionable” claims from private schools to prevent a “potential defraudment” in the voucher program.

Rama explained that the P200 million was not released for the school year 2023 to 2024, due to discrepancies in the billing statements by the private schools with the data in their learner’s information system.

DepEd is taking action to ensure the integrity of the funds and program implementation, in accordance with President Marcos’ order to maintain transparency and accountability.

Secretary Sonny Angara stated, “We take these allegations seriously. Any form of misuse of public funds intended for critical education programs will not be tolerated. This investigation is a necessary step as we pursue the truth and hold accountable those responsible.”

Despite all this, DepEd promises the public that necessary assistance will be provided to legitimate students to ensure resumed learning without disruption and urges the public to report any flaws they find in DepEd programs’ implementation.