Southern schools implicated in new Bt177m graft amid crisis at ministry

By The Nation

 

 

ANTI-GRAFT authorities have discovered irregularities in a state subsidy programme for private school students in the southernmost provinces, with at least Bt177 million confirmed to have been misappropriated.

 

According to sources at a committee set up by Deputy Education Minister General Surachet Chaiwong, more than 100 private schools in the restive area had falsified their student numbers in order to inflate the amount of state subsidies paid out by the ministry.

 

The ministry is taking action against these schools for the return of Bt177 million in subsidies paid out over the past three fiscal years.

 

An investigation is also underway to recoup other state subsidies that might have been fraudulently obtained, including those aimed at helping to improve teachers’ welfare.

 

The government provides a subsidy of Bt14,000 per year per student for schools in the restive area to cover tuition, textbooks, educational accessories, uniforms and student development.

 

The amounts for tuition and student development are paid directly to the schools. However, investigators said the subsidies for textbooks, uniforms and accessories had been misappropriated via a |network of unscrupulous suppliers selected by the schools.

 

These people had allegedly used fake receipts to receive reimbursement from the Education Ministry. Some provincial officials have also been found to be involved in an allegedly corrupt scheme that involves about 100 schools.

 

Meanwhile, the well-known academic Sompong Jitradap yesterday urged the Education Ministry to check all of its funds for corruption, following the ministry’s internal audit discovering last week irregularities in reimbursements by the Sema Pattana Chevit Fund (Education Fund for Life Development) for underprivileged children. 

 

The audit found that Bt88 million disbursed from the fund, which is intended to help children at risk of being lured into the sex trade, had been embezzled by corrupt officials over the past 10 years. “The Bt88-million embezzlement is not supposed to happen and it shows loopholes in the ministry’s corruption-tackling measures and a lack of strict follow-up mechanisms in budget |disbursements,” said Sompong, a Chulalongkorn University Faculty of Education lecturer. 

 

Meanwhile, Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin said he had already assigned permanent secretary, Karun Sakulpradit, to check the ministry’s other funds for corruption.

 

On Friday, Teerakiat said an unnamed C8level female official had confessed to embezzling Bt88 million from the fund and he had asked Karun to file a police complaint against her. 

 

Five education officials who were involved in fund disbursements, including the suspect, have been transferred to other agencies ahead of an investigation, after the ministry passed the case to the National AntiCorruption Commission, the Public Sector AntiCorruption Commission and the AntiMoney Laundering Office.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30340700

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-03-12

Where's the news ???

This happens day in, day out, at every level of Thai society...

Granted not all Thais are corrupt, there are plenty of honest people, but there is also a huge percentage that are....

26 minutes ago, cornishcarlos said:

Where's the news ???

This happens day in, day out, at every level of Thai society...

Granted not all Thais are corrupt, there are plenty of honest people, but there is also a huge percentage that are....

honest???

About as common here as a competent driver.

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The ministry is taking action against these schools for the return of Bt177 million in subsidies paid out over the past three fiscal years.

schools don't steal People in schools steal,unless you get to the 'people level', it is all just talk

It appears these officials just cannot help themselves.

 

Or, rather, cannot stop helping themselves.

The news is that one of the main branches of instituionalized corruption that has always used its nature to hide the truth is now exposed for all to see. No one can argue or feel isolated believing the education system is broken. Now the challenge is can you really fix it.

Another day; another branch of officialdom found with sticky fingers.  Totting up the amount embezzled by these state officials, I am surprised Thailand stays solvent!

Its pretty much the same in all ministries, missing money fake receipt, buying stuff that are triple the cost of what you can buy in open market. Thailand could be so much better, but education and corruption continues to hold it back.

One step above stealing from the poor, destitute, unwell and indigent I guess.

 

There must be a way to blame this on the previous government?

 

Good thing the Junta has successfully tackled "corruption".

 

https://news.thaivisa.com/article/17510/new-kind-of-corruption-feared

 

 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

The ministry is taking action against these schools for the return of Bt177 million in subsidies paid out over the past three fiscal years.

 

The government provides a subsidy of Bt14,000 per year per student for schools in the restive area to cover tuition, textbooks, educational accessories, uniforms and student development.

That works out at about 12,600 subsidy payments. Someone's not been watching the kettle, then, and another Ministerial balls-up will result in as much chance of the fraud being recouped as the Prosecution commission have of getting their hands on Red-Bull-cop-killer . . . zilch. Thailand has this 'excuse me for troubling you' way of letting these difficulties 'disappear' and this will be another.

I wonder what a "crisis" at a Thai ministry actually looks like.

 

Knit 1..purl 2..lick..stamp....next..

Morally Bankrupt Society that knows no shame, as they believe that 'doing merit' absolves them of all responsibility !

I got caught in a scandal at Trium Udom in NST back in ohhh 2001. Nasty business between director his private house in school grounds and other stuff. I left of my own accord washing my hands of it all.

Thailand...rotten and corrupt to the very core...