Leaked Exam? Here's A Story

[WonnabeBiker]

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/624094-exam-cheating-thai-dept-education-minister-suspects-papers-were-leaked/

EXAM CHEATING
Deputy Minister suspects papers were leaked

SAOWANEE NIMPANPAYUNGWONG

PIYANUT TUMNUKASETCHAI

The Nation



486 test-takers got full or near full marks; DSI to conclude its investigation on March 18


BANGKOK: -- Deputy Education Minister Sermsak Pongpanich suspects
assistant teacher exam papers were leaked after 486 test-takers in 60
provinces received a full score or a nearly full score.


The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is probing the suspected
exam corruption and will conclude its investigation on March 18.


Some test-takers reportedly paid Bt200,000-Bt300,000 to gangs to help
them cheat in the test. They were hoping to be recruited for jobs with
starting salaries of only Bt9,000 a month, but were a stepping stone to
permanent positions in the civil service.


The exam was to recruit 2,000 assistant teachers and the result that 486
test-takers had full scores raised suspicions of a possible exam-paper
leak.


Sermsak said he would wait for the DSI probe result before deciding
whether to scrap the controversial exam and hold a new one. He said he
would also propose the Office of Teacher Civil Service and Educational
Personnel Commission (OTEPC) postpone its teacher recruitment,
originally slated for March 13, until the end of March when they had
results of the investigation.


He also affirmed that if ministry executives were involved in this
alleged corruption they would face punishment and the guilty test-takers
would be revoked from recruitment immediately. Assistant teacher exams
in the future might be held in educational regions rather than the
current practice of centralised exam administration, Sermsak added.


DSI chief Tharit Pengdit said that the DSI probe, as requested by
Sermsak, had found grounds for exam cheating and would send the probe
result to the Education Ministry on March 18. He said that DSI wanted to
determine if the cheating had taken place in the Northeast or
nationwide, as that would help the ministry to consider whether to scrap
the exam only in some areas or nationwide. Holding an exam is costly.


Thanin Prempree, director of DSI's corruption prevention and suppression
centre, said the initial probe found the exam cheating was done in
three ways; getting others to take the exam instead of the real
candidates, copying answers before taking the test, or bringing a
communication device to get answers while taking the test. The DSI would
have to wait for the Education Ministry's request to the Special Case
Committee of the DSI to officially take up the case, he added.

[WonnabeBiker]

This is quite sad - society should value assistant teachers higher and pay them more than minimum wage!

Imagine the desperation forcing someone to cough up "200-300 k Baht" for such a poorly paid job?!

Hope they catch the fat cats at the top, not just some poor Schmuck who paid the bribe...

[Mario2008]

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