Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 20) — State auditors are questioning deficiencies in a number of student assistance and scholarship programs of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
In its report posted on July 17, the Commission on Audit (COA) found deficiencies in implementing the Bayanihan 2 for Higher Education Tulong Program (B2HELP), a subsidy under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act.
COA flagged over ₱54 million in unliquidated fund transfers, as well as incomplete documentation and inconsistencies in supporting documents worth more than ₱5.3 million.It also advised refunding for 103 ineligible B2HELP student-grantees who received payments equivalent to at least ₱505,000.The audit body also found lapses and deficiencies in the implementation of the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) program, including unliquidated grants amounting to ₱16.8 billion, and delayed release of funds of over ₱3.4 billion.COA noted that double scholarship grants were given to 51 TES beneficiaries in the amount of ₱546,000, while an excess amount of over ₱8 million was also transferred to higher education institutions (HEIs). Incomplete and deficient supporting documents on disbursements also amounted to more than ₱116 million.State auditors advised CHED to refund the double scholarship grants, require the HEIs to return the excess fund transfers, and refrain from releasing funds to HEIs with deficient supporting documents.COA also found lapses in the implementation of the Free Higher Education program, which resulted in overpayment of ₱39.9 million in tuition and other school fees reimbursed by CHED to two public HEIs. COA advised CHED to direct the HEIs to return the overpayments.The agency further found that CHED has unreleased financial assistance to two grantees under its scholarship program although they have already submitted the required documents, while nine students who failed to maintain the scholarship requirements were also found to have still received payments.Fourteen scholars received excessive payments, which COA also advised refunding.Furthermore, COA discovered that eight CHED-funded collaborative research and development projects with a combined cost of more than ₱349 million did not correspond to and even went past the validity period of their appropriations, which means their completion is not assured.
