Manila, March 26 -- The Department of Education (DepEd) has recovered approximately PHP65 million from 40 of the 54 private schools flagged for irregularities in the Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS-VP) for School Years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023.

In a statement Wednesday, DepEd said that out of the 54 schools removed from the SHS-VP, 38 have fully refunded the government, while two have made partial payments.

It said 14 schools have yet to return the disbursed funds, prompting the issuance of final demand letters.

The agency said it is still determining whether the flagged irregularities amount to fraud, as investigations remain ongoing.

For the current school year, 12 schools are under review by DepEd's Investigation Division. ...