A total of 45 Philippine Science High School (PSHS) scholars who reneged on their contractual obligation to take up college courses related to science and technology face legal action if they will not return to government the monetary value of their scholarship award totaling over P4.93 million.
The Commission on Audit (COA) made this recommendation to the PSHS System in the 2020 Annual Audit Report (AAR) that the audit agency released recently.
The audit report also flagged four PSHS offices for alleged “irregular/excessive/uneconomical expenditures of at least P9.162 million “due to either non-conformity with existing rules and regulations and erroneous computations.” The audit findings referred to the payment of overtime services, hazard allowances, longevity pay and other subsistence allowances which auditors deemed to have exceeded.
“Outstanding receivables fo two (2) campuses amounting to P4,937,309.28 from scholars who did not enroll in Science and Technology courses in college remained uncollected for more than three years, thus, depriving, the government of additional funds that could have been utilized to finance other priority programs and projects” the PSHS AAR said.
Names of the 45 scholars who were asked to return the cash equivalent of their scholarship have been withheld but the audit report disclosed that they were graduates of the Ilocos Region and Western Visayas campuses.
The IRC graduates owe government a total P385,309.28 while the WVC scholars should return P4,552,000.
COA said these former PSHS scholars have breached the Scholarship Award agreement that bind them to take up science and technology courses in college.
Together with their parents or guardians, the students have to reimburse the monetary value of their scholarship should they violate the terms of the agreement.
State auditors asked the PSHS to pursue the collection of the money owed by the scholars and their parents.
“...in case of failure of the concerrned scholars and/or their parents/guardians to settle the obligation, communicate with the Legal Counsel and discuss other legal remedies, which may be pursued to recover the monetary value of the scholarship due to breach of agreement,” COA told the PSHS management.
In its 2018 AAR, COA disclosed that demands for the refund of the monetary value of the scholarship have been ignored by the scholars from PSHS campuses in the Cordillera and WVC.
Among those asked to return government expenditures for their secondary education were two WVC scholars who were expelled from the school. COA said these two should refund PSHS a total P277,000.
Under a Scholarship Agreement between the PSHS and its scholars, the latter will benefit from various financial incentives and other assistance from the school on the condition that they will pursue only science and technology courses upon graduation from high school.