THE Department of Education (DepEd) has retrieved around P65 million from private schools found with irregularities under the Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS-VP) for School Years 2021–2022 and 2022–2023.

DepEd said 40 of the 54 schools removed from the program have already returned government funds, with 38 completing full refunds and two making partial repayments.

Fourteen schools have not yet complied, prompting the department to issue final demand letters.

The agency said investigations are ongoing to determine whether the violations amount to fraud.

For the current school year, 12 schools are being reviewed by DepEd’s Investigation Division, while three institutions were referred to the National Bureau of Investigation based on findings by the Government Assistance and Subsidies Service.

To prevent further misuse of public funds, DepEd and the Private Education Assistance Committee have tightened monitoring through stricter record checks, system audits, and random site visits. A second-semester validation is scheduled next month, and a billing system will be implemented in School Year 2025–2026.

Regional and division offices were directed to conduct inspections and submit detailed reports, while enhanced validation measures are now in place to ensure only eligible learners benefit from the voucher program.