Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director General Guiling Mamondiong said the days of the agency’s “fake scholars” will end soon.
TESDA told the Philippine News Agency that these “fake scholars” didn’t undergo training.
“During the past administrations, some names have been approved as scholars, but they didn’t undergo any training,” TESDA explained.
It added that the people behind this anomaly got the budget for the scholarships.
“Some Technical Vocational Institutions (TVIs) and operators were involved in this,” TESDA said in a text message.
The agency said this administration would not tolerate such illegal practice because it would pave a way for corruption.
“A big chunk of its budget due to fake scholars,” Mamondiong cited in a statement.
He has created “technical audit teams” which will check the equipment and facilities of TVIs while the Barangay Kasanayan para sa Kabuhayan at Kapayapaan (BKKK) scouts for scholars in every barangay.
“Inspectorate teams” were formed tasked to make the rounds of TVIs nationwide apart from the “Tendering System”, in which training institutions submit their “bids” to avail of scholarships.
Furthermore, Mamondiong has ordered TESDA’s provincial and regional offices to help arrest the suspects linked to the illegal transactions.
TESDA discovered that some TVIs could get a voucher or scholarship slot through cohorts inside the agency, even without the proper training.
“We also found out that cohorts who serve as ‘operators’ also get a share of money through the anomalous transactions with TVIs and training institutions,” the agency cited. (PNA)
