Qualified Grade 10 students who wish to pursue Senior High School (SHS) in private schools and other non-DepEd institutions have until Feb. 10 to apply for the SHS Voucher Program using the online mode of application.
Public Grade 10 completers and Grade 10 completers who are Education Service Contracting (ESC) grantees in private JHS are automatically qualified voucher recipients and need not apply for an SHS Voucher. Grade 10 completers who are not ESC grantees from private JHS are the ones who need to apply for the SHS Voucher Program subject to review and approval of the Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC).
Interested applicants simply need to download and fill out the application form from the Online Voucher Application Portal (OVAP) http://ovap.deped.gov.ph and submit the filled out form, confirmation slip, and supporting documents to [email protected].
Documentary requirements include two copies of 2×2 ID photo; certification of financial assistance (if applicable); PSA-certified Birth Certificate; photocopy of latest Grade 10 report card; certificate of employment (if parent or guardian is employed); and latest income tax return of parents or legal guardian or certificate of tax exemption or municipal certification of unemployment.
One needs to digitize or scan all the required documents and submit one scanned file per document. Applicants will be notified of the results and the list of Qualified Voucher Recipients (QVR) will be posted on OVAP.
The voucher amount varies for a Grade 10 completer in a public JHS (100% voucher value) and from a private JHS (80% voucher value). The voucher amounts also vary based on location of the SHS taking into consideration the different cost of education in the locality. In Central Luzon, the cost of the SHS Voucher amounts to P17,500 while the SHS Vouchers in Angeles City and Olongapo City which are highly-urbanized cities (HUCs) amount to P20,000.
Through the Voucher Program, students and their families are able to exercise greater choice in deciding the Senior High School program that is most relevant to their needs and career goals. The voucher enables students to claim a “discount” or a deduction from the cost of tuition and other fees charged by a non-DepEd SHS where he or she will enroll.
The voucher subsidy is not given to students directly in the form of cash but will be disbursed by DepEd to the non-DepEd SHS where he or she enrolls. In Region III, the total amount of P638,099,266.57 has been allotted for the grant of Senior High School (SHS) Vouchers for the first batch of Grade 11 students who opted to enroll in non-DepEd SHSs in Region III for the School Year 2016-2017. Some 79,909 Grade 11 students in 568 non-DepEd institutions such as private SHSs, higher education institutions (HEIs) and state universities and colleges (SUCs) have been qualified as voucher recipients.