DepEd, CHEd warn vs fake scholarship offers
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) and Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) have warned the public not to fall prey to offers of scholarships and cash incentives for students on social media as they also cautioned parents against giving away their children’s personal information.
On Tuesday, the DepEd urged people to beware of Facebook posts about supposed scholarships it was offering, complete with the DepEd logo and a photo of Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte.
The fake scholarship packages circulating on social media used the DepEd seal and Duterte’s photo “illegally… to scam people,” it said on its official Facebook page.
READ: DepEd: Beware of fake scholarship announcements online
It reminded the public to “stay vigilant against misinformation” and to rely on the DepEd’s official social media pages for announcements and information about its programs.
“Please report any misleading and suspicious information about basic education to [email protected],” it said.
The social media posts offer cash assistance to students in elementary (P5,000), high school (P7,000), college or vocational courses (P10,000).
Sole requirementApplicants, according to the posts, need only to submit their school identification cards.
CHEd Chair Prospero de Vera III also flagged Facebook posts offering cash assistance to all graduating students from elementary to college.
The basic education level, from elementary up to high school, is under the supervision of the DepEd, while tertiary education is under CHEd.
According to De Vera, there is no official announcement yet on the submission of tertiary education subsidy applications for the upcoming academic year 2024-2025.
“I remind the public to exercise caution, verify information and refrain from engaging in transactions with individuals or groups claiming to represent the Commission and UniFAST (Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education),” he said in a separate Facebook post.
