THE Teachers’ Dignity Coalition welcomed the Department of Education’s efforts to uncover and halt the fraudulent activities involving alleged ‘ghost students’ under the Senior High School Voucher Program.

The discovery of these irregularities underscores the need for stronger transparency and accountability measures in the implementation of this government-funded support system, TDC national chairperson Benjo Basas said.

“We fully support DepEd’s initiative to crack down on unscrupulous individuals who manipulate the system for their personal gains, depriving legitimate students of much-needed support and compromising the integrity of the program,” he said.

TDC also called on Congress to launch a comprehensive investigation into this matter to ensure that those responsible are held accountable and that necessary policy reforms are enacted to prevent similar abuses in the future.

“The fact that this malpractice has persisted for nearly a decade raises serious concerns about the oversight mechanisms governing the program. Immediate corrective actions must be taken to protect public funds and guarantee that every single cent allocated to education genuinely benefits deserving students,” Basas said.

“While we acknowledge the complementary role of private schools in the country’s education system, we reiterate our long-standing position that public resources should be prioritized for strengthening the public school system,” Basas added.

“Instead of heavily relying on subsidy programs that are vulnerable to abuse, the government must ensure adequate funding for public schools—expanding facilities, providing materials, hiring more teachers, and improving the quality of instruction. Investing directly in public education will not only minimize corruption and inefficiencies but will also provide long-term benefits by ensuring free, accessible and quality education for all Filipino learners.”