As more and more Filipinos find it difficult to sustain their children’s education, finding scholarships that they can avail to have become more and more prevalent on social media.
But beware, according to the Department of Education (DepEd): some of these social media posts offering scholarships may turn out to be fake.
The department recently issued a public warning after a claim surfaced on the Facebook group "Landbank 4Ps update all regions," boasting over 705,200 members.
The post, which has garnered 660 reactions, 1,100 comments, and 84 shares, purportedly offers scholarship allowances of up to P10,000 through an online application link released by DepEd.
According to the post, the scholarship program offers P7,000 for elementary students, P9,000 for high school students, and P10,000 for college students.
Interested applicants are instructed to submit their applications through links provided in the post, along with their school IDs and report cards. Despite mentioning a deadline of March 10, the post continues to attract comments and inquiries from prospective applicants.
Fraudulent posts
However, the DepEd has clarified that the alleged scholarship program is fake.
On March 18, the education department released an advisory cautioning the public against such fraudulent schemes circulating online.
The advisory emphasized that these posts misuse the DepEd seal and feature unauthorized images of the Vice President and Secretary of Education Sara Duterte.
Parents and guardians are strongly advised not to provide their children's school information and identification to these deceptive posts to avoid compromising their security.
Contrary to the post's claims, DepEd reiterated that there are no scholarships for public school students since education in public schools is free.
Additionally, the department's mandate only covers primary and secondary education, not tertiary education.
For college students, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) serves as the governing body.
DepEd offers various programs to support students, including the Education Contracting Service program for junior high school students, the Senior High School Voucher program, and the Joint Delivery Voucher program for senior high school students pursuing technical-vocational tracks.
These programs do not provide scholarships of P7,000, P9,000, or P10,000 but instead offer subsidies for students' tuition.
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