DepEd SHS Voucher Program Online Application Procedure for SY 2020-2021

The Department of Education (DepEd) announces the Guidelines on Eligibility and Application for the Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS VP) for School Year (SY) 2020-2021 to provide details on the requirements, procedure, and schedule for voucher application, from qualification to redemption, as well as other information relative to SHS VP application.

DEPED SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL (SHS) VOUCHER PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY

Learners who completed JHS in public schools operated by DepEd, and in public or private educational institutions not directly operated by DepEd but granted by DepEd with a permit or government recognition to operate are eligible for SHS VP. Learners who completed Grade 10 as passers of the Alternative Learning System Accreditation and Equivalency (ALS A&E) Test and of the Philippine Education Placement Test (PEPT) are also eligible for SHS VP. For brevity, these learners shall be referred to as Grade 10 completers. Grade 10 completers are subdivided into (1) automatically qualified learners, and (2) voucher applicants.

READ: Guidelines on the Senior High School Voucher Program for School Year 2020-2021

Automatically Qualified Learners

Only Grade 10 completers in SY 2019-2020 who fall under the categories below automatically qualify for vouchers and are considered qualified voucher recipients (QVRs). They do not need to apply for vouchers.

• Category A: All Grade 10 completers in Public Schools operated by DepEd
• Category B: All Grade 10 completers in SUCs and LUCs
• Category C: All Grade 10 completers in private schools who are ESC grantees

Voucher Applicants

Only learners in the categories below need to apply for vouchers and shall be referred to as voucher applicants (VAs). Acceptance of VAs shall be determined using set parameters subject to the availability of funds.

• Category D: All Grade 10 completers in private schools in SY 2019-2020 who are not ESC grantees
• Category E: All Grade 10 completers who completed Grade 10 prior to SY 2019-2020 but not earlier than 2016 and had not previously enrolled for Grade 11
• Category F: Learners who had passed the ALS A&E Test for Grade 10 not earlier than 2016 and had not previously enrolled for Grade 11 or will take the ALS A&E Test in SY 2020-2021
• Category G: Learners who passed the PEPT for Grade 10 not earlier than 2016 and had not previously enrolled for Grade 11 or will take the PEPT in SY 2020-2021

NOTE: The following learners are not eligible for SHS VP:

• Learners who graduated High School in 2015 or earlier
• Incoming Grade 12 learners who were not part of SHS VP in Grade 11
• Non-Filipino learners

The table below may be used for easy reference:

Table 1. Eligibility Guide

For VAs who fall under Categories F and G, they may apply for the voucher while waiting for results of the ALS A&E Test and PEPT, respectively.

VOUCHER APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Application will be done online ONLY: free of charge. No manual applications will be accepted. VAs are highly discouraged from submitting multiple applications. All applications shall be coursed through PEAC NS via the Online Voucher Application Portal (OVAP) at http://ovap.peac.org.ph. DepEd shall not accept submissions of applications. The table below enumerates the steps for online application.

Table 2. Voucher Application Procedure (Online Application)

Deadline for creation of accounts on OVAP: July 22, 2020
Deadline for application: July 24, 2020

1. Access OVAP at http://ovap.peac.org.ph. Follow the instructions to create an OVAP account. VAs must use a working email address they have access to.

NOTE: An account is not yet an application.

2. Wait for a confirmation email that shall be sent to the VA’s email address. Upon receipt of the confirmation email, click on the link provided to access the OVAP as a registered user.

3. Complete the electronic Voucher Application Form (VAF-1). VAs may do this in parts but must ensure changes are saved by section.

4. Scan or take a picture and upload the following required documents in the OVAP:

a. Recent 2×2 colored ID photo

b. Proof of financial means* * of both parents or guardian/s, and the other person/s helping send the VA to school, if any

c. Signed Parent Consent Form** for VAs below 18 years old at the time of the submission of the application

d. Certificate of Financial Assistance*** received from the JHS, if applicable

NOTE: Due to foreseen difficulty in securing documents as a result of the implementation of measures for the management of COVID-19, applications with no/incomplete supporting documents will still be processed. The deadline for submission of supporting documents is October 30, 2020.

5. Check the result of application thru OVAP. VAs with successful applications become eligible for the voucher and shall be called Qualified Voucher Applicants (QVAs).

6. Download the QVA Certificate from OVAP. The QVA Certificate is required for voucher redemption. QVAs shall submit their QVA Certificate to the SHS they decide to enroll at as proof that they are entitled to the voucher.

NOTE: Only QVAs who have submitted the required supporting documents will be able to download the QVA Certificate. Failure to submit the required supporting documents by October 30, 2020, or submission of documents that fail to support information declared in the VAF-1 is grounds for disqualification/exclusion of the QVA and revocation of the voucher.

7. VAs who will submit supporting documents after July 17 are advised to check OVAP one (1) week after submitting their supporting documents for feedback on their submission. VAs whose submission successfully passes validation shall be able to download their QVA Certificate.

*Refer to Table 3. Expected submission per scenario and Table 4. Required document as proof of financial means
**Attached as Annex 1 is the Privacy Notice and Parent Consent Form. The Parent Consent Form is required for VAs below 18 years old at the time of the submission of the application.
***A template for the Certificate of Financial Assistance is attached as Annex 2.

VAs must submit proof of the financial means of both their parents or guardian/s and the other person/s helping send the VA to school, if any. The table below provides the expected submission per scenario.

Table 3. Expected submission per scenario

*A template for the Affidavit to be notarized and submitted is attached as Annex 3.

Based on the scenarios above, the following table provides the required document as proof of financial means.

Table 4. Required document as proof of financial means

*The Certificate of Employment should state the person’s occupation and gross monthly income, which refers to the gross monthly wages or salaries before taxes and other deductions. It includes basic pay, overtime pay, commissions, tips, allowances, and one-twelfth of annual bonuses.

**Average monthly earnings refer to earnings from sources of income such as business, trade, profession, investments, and/or pensions.

***A template for the Certificate of Unemployment is attached as Annex 4.

TRACKING THE APPLICATION, FOLLOW-UPS, AND INQUIRIES

It is the responsibility of the VA to ensure that his or her application is complete and correct, and that it is received on or before the deadline. It is likewise the responsibility of the VA to track the status of the application. VAs may check the status of their application by accessing their account on OVAP.

For any inquiries on the application process and/or your application, please email the PEAC National Secretariat at shs.vms@peac.org.ph.

QUALIFICATION OR DISQUALIFICATION

Grade 10 completers who fall under Categories A. B. and C. as discussed in Section VI. (Eligibility) of these guidelines are QVRs and should not apply. Their applications shall not be processed.

PEAC NS shall process all application forms submitted by VAs on or before July 24. 2020 and forward the results to DepEd for approval. In consideration of the limitations imposed by the implementation of measures to address the COVID-19 public health emergency, applications submitted with no/incomplete supporting documents will still be processed. VAs are given until October 30. 2020 to submit the required supporting documents.

The following applications shall be disqualified:

1. Applications submitted after the deadline
2. Applications with incomplete VAF-1
3. Applications that contain false information
4. Applications by learners who are not eligible for the SHS VP

• Learners who graduated High School in 2015 or earlier
• Incoming Grade 12 learners who were not part of SHS VP in Grade 11
• Non-Filipino learners

RESULTS OF APPLICATION

Results will be posted on OVAP and may be accessed by learners, parents, and schools. VAs will not be notified of the results: it is the responsibility of the VA to check the results of the application on OVAP. Announcements on the posting of results shall be made on the PEAC NS and DepEd websites, and other available media.

For VAs who fall under Categories F and G. being a QVA is contingent upon the results of the ALS A&E Test and PEPT. VAs who have successful SHS VP applications but do not pass the ALS A&E Test and PEPT in time for SY 2020-2021 shall not be considered QVAs and will not be entitled to the voucher.

Grounds for disqualification/exclusion of QVA and revocation of voucher:

1. False information in application and/or supporting documents
2. Failure to submit required supporting documents by October 30. 2020
3. Failure of submitted supporting documents to support information declared in the VAF-1

VOUCHER VALIDITY AND REDEMPTION

QVRs redeem the voucher by enrolling for Grade 11 at a non-DepEd SHS in any of the DepEd-approved learning delivery options. As with any learner, the QVR must satisfy the requirements for admission set by the non-DepEd SHS. A QVR who successfully enrolls at a non-DepEd SHS becomes a voucher program beneficiary (VPB). Upon enrollment. QVRs must present to their chosen non-DepEd SHS the following documentary evidence as proof of their eligibility.

Table 6. Documentary Evidence of Eligibility

Voucher redemption begins on August 14, 2020 and ends on October 30, 2020. Vouchers not redeemed within the prescribed period shall no longer be valid. QVRs who shall be unable to redeem their vouchers within the said period due to prolonged illness, accident, force majeure. or prolonged illness or death of a parent/guardian and other analogous cases must submit a letter addressed to the PEAC Executive Director providing justification for not redeeming the voucher. Relevant documents to support their claims e.g. for prolonged illness, a medical certificate issued by a licensed medical doctor, must be submitted along with the letter. The letter and supporting documents shall be evaluated by PEAC and become the basis for extension of voucher validity, subject to approval of DepEd.

The voucher covers only two school years – Grades 11 and 12. regardless of the number of school years it takes for the recipient to complete SHS.

APPLICABLE VOUCHER VALUES

The applicable voucher amount is determined by the category of the QVR. and the location, type, and fees of the non-DepEd SHS where the QVR will enroll. The maximum voucher amounts are shown in the table below:

Table 7. Maximum applicable voucher amount (in PHP per student per school year)

Voucher amounts represent the maximum payment a non-DepEd SHS shall be paid per VPB per school year. Schools receive voucher payments based on the total school fees they charge or the maximum voucher amount applicable, whichever is lower.

SCHEDULE OF IMPLEMENTATION

VAs are advised to be mindful of significant dates in the SHS VP as shown in the schedule below:

Table 8. Schedule of SHS VP Application implementation

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

DepEd and PEAC shall conduct random checks on schools and learners to ensure program compliance. DepEd Schools Division Offices and Regional Offices as well as PEAC Regional Secretariats shall provide feedback including complaints and queries, on the implementation of these guidelines to the DepEd Central Office through the Office of the Undersecretary for Planning. Human Resource and Organizational Development, and Field Operations and the PEAC NS. respectively. For any concerns, voucher applicants may also communicate their feedback through the Public Assistance Action Center and its counterparts in the field.

PEAC shall monitor the conduct of voucher application, with regular process checks, so as to meet standards on turnaround times and data integrity. It shall prepare and submit interim reports as may be required by DepEd to improve fiiture implementations of the SHS VP.

A period review of these guidelines shall be conducted by DepEd and PEAC to further enhance the provisions stipulated herein and ensure effectiveness of the application processes.

List of Annexes

• Annex 1: Privacy Notice and Parent Consent Form
• Annex 2: Certificate of Financial Assistance
• Annex 3: Affidavit Template
• Annex 4: Certificate of Unemployment