D S I Found Corruption In 4 Education Areas That Hosted Testing For Assistant Teachers

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DSI found corruption in 4 education areas that hosted testing for assistant teachers

BANGKOK, 21 March 2013 (NNT) – The Department of Special Investigation indicated it found acts of corruption in 4 education areas out of the areas that hosted examinations for assistant teachers.

DSI Director-General Tharit Phengdit has submitted the investigation report to Deputy Education Minister Sermsak Phongphanit, and also given preliminary details. The DSI found that cheating took place during the assistant teachers’ testings in Khonkaen, Udonthani, Yasothon an Nakhon Ratchasima.

Methods used to cheat in the tests include use of communications equipment and use of sit-ins for test-takers. The DSI says Education Ministry personnel were involved in the scam. It is proposing that the test results for the 4 areas be scrapped.

Deputy Education Minister Sermsak indicated it should become clear later this week whether all the results from the 4 areas will be scraped or whether the results would be void on an individual basis.

-- NNT 2013-03-21

[webfact]

'Solid evidence' officials involved: minister
Piyanut Tumnukasetchai
The Nation



Sermsak balks at DSI call for all results to be invalidated

BANGKOK: -- Education officials found to have facilitated cheating in the assistant-teacher recruitment exams will face both disciplinary and criminal action, Deputy Education Minister Sermsak Pongpanich said yesterday.

Speaking at a press conference, Sermsak said the scam required the participation of many people, including provincial and central agency officials.

"There is solid evidence," he said, with Department of Special Investigation (DSI) chief Tarit Pengdith by his side.

Sermsak, however, remained reluctant to embrace the DSI's recommendation that the Education Ministry invalidate the results of the exams, saying that not all test-takers were involved.

The deputy education minister said he would present information on the cheating scandal to the Teacher Civil Service and Educational Personnel Commission, which will convene a meeting tomorrow to decide whether to invalidate the exams.

Sermsak has asked the DSI to investigate the alleged cheating. Of 9,249 applicants for assistant-teacher positions, 486 had unusually high scores. There were 2,161 vacancies.

According to Sermsak, preliminary probes by the Education Ministry and the DSI found solid evidence of cheating.

Tarit said evidence of cheating had been found in the Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) Udon Thani Office Area 3, Obec Yasothon Office Area 1, Obec Nakhon Ratchasima Office Area 2 and Obec Khon Kaen Office Area 3.

Tarit said that in some cases, applicants had hired others to sit the exams on their behalf, and in other cases the cheating applicants had received correct answers for exam questions in advance.

"Some cheaters memorised the answers. Others smuggled communications devices into the exam rooms," he added.

Tarit said the cheating scheme had clearly been planned from the outset of the project to recruit new assistant teachers.

"Normally, Obec's local offices are in charge of designing exam questions. But this time, Obec was in charge," he said.

Officials from Obec's local offices are usually assigned to collect exam papers, but this time, Thailand Post was hired to make the deliveries.

Tarit added that the cheating exam-takers received coaching on how to cheat a few days before the recruitment exams took place.

The DSI board will be asked to take up the scam as a special case at its meeting on March 27.

"We now have clear targets for further investigation," Tarit said.

Sermsak said exam questions and answers had been leaked in all subjects featured in the recruitment exams.

"Some insiders were clearly involved because the cheaters seem to know in which areas they should sit for exams," he said.


-- The Nation 2013-03-21

[arthurboy]

"We now have clear targets for further investigation," Tarit said.

Who are now covering their backsides as I write, and/ or are out of the country by now.

[Mampara]

This is just the tip of the iceberg, The real education corruption takes place in many of our schools. have you ever wondered why many school accountants have fancy cars? and the strange thing is the staff don't get issued with pay slips at the end of the month. and furthermore the letter of appointment has one figure, the tax submission to the revenue department has another figure and the actual bank deposit is another figure.

[Scott]

There is no need for them to leave the country. Despite what has been said, they most likely will suffer nothing more humiliating that an inactive post and collecting their normal salary.

[chainarong]

If my friend the DSI would just move his arse a little to the left, he would see that cheating is a normal course of action for most of he's buddies in the Government, so , would he like to start at the top and then work down.

[Kitbaikitmah]

Why shouldn't they cheat? Why wouldn't they? They have gone through school and Uni ...now have a chance for a job-for-life and status for loans and in society.

Teachers are conduits transferring knowledge from past and present into the future.

Teachers caught cheating...fail the grade...how can you teach students to be successful if you get caught yourself.

[jackspratt]

Has Abhisit been called in for questioning yet?

I am sure he is behind this scam.

[chrisrazz]

Last year my wife's oldest was an assistant teacher. For the next year he had to spend a week or two travelling to and from the

Education dept provincial offices for training and resit the exam. He already had a the job! Next thing he finds that he's lost the job to someone who's paid for it. A couple of months later the school contacted him and asked if he wished to return no exam required, as the person who had paid for the job needed to be replaced. He was quite rightly pissed off, firstly because they made him retrain and sit an exam he'd already passed, incurring all the costs involved, wasting time, and then losing the job to someone who had not even done the course. He declined to take the job back.

[Pimay1]

Has Abhisit been called in for questioning yet?

I am sure he is behind this scam.

I can see Yaowapa is the lady in your avatar. Who is the man?

[ginjag]

Has Abhisit been called in for questioning yet?

I am sure he is behind this scam.

I can see Yaowapa is the lady in your avatar. Who is the man?

Just to note that 3 of the four largest cities (approx) in Thailand are more involved, ALL in ISSAN amazing corruption we have in this vast area ---I have an Idea it is a stronghold area of the government. coincidence ??? Khorat-K Khen-Udon.

Edited March 21, 2013 by ginjag

[jackspratt]

Has Abhisit been called in for questioning yet?

I am sure he is behind this scam.

I can see Yaowapa is the lady in your avatar. Who is the man?

Some bloke who doesn't have a mindless and sexist obsession with the physical appearance of women in public life.

[Pimay1]

Has Abhisit been called in for questioning yet?

I am sure he is behind this scam.

I can see Yaowapa is the lady in your avatar. Who is the man?

Some bloke who doesn't have a mindless and sexist obsession with the physical appearance of women in public life.

Good on him.

[jackspratt]

Has Abhisit been called in for questioning yet?

I am sure he is behind this scam.

I can see Yaowapa is the lady in your avatar. Who is the man?

Some bloke who doesn't have a mindless and sexist obsession with the physical appearance of women in public life.

Good on him.

Yes, I can understand why you didn't recognise him.

[Almera]

So very similar to the Police Entrance exam corruption (300k paid in cash to be given the answers)....

Morally disgusting levels of corruption exists at every level of Thailand, well I'm completely shocked!

[Pimay1]

Has Abhisit been called in for questioning yet?

I am sure he is behind this scam.

I can see Yaowapa is the lady in your avatar. Who is the man?

Some bloke who doesn't have a mindless and sexist obsession with the physical appearance of women in public life.

Good on him.

Yes, I can understand why you didn't recognise him.

Good one.

[Almera]

Quoting 101, Pimay1, stay after class.

[ginjag]

Quoting 101, Pimay1, stay after class.

OOOH you are awful - but I like you. get the slipper ready,,,,,,Jep dee mac

[Almera]

Jep dee mac

BG Thai for Foreigners 101.

ginjag, well done, top of the class.

Geng mhak mhaak loiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.

Edited March 21, 2013 by Almera

[khaowong1]

How many places did they exam? 4?

[Ian Curtis]

Why shouldn't they cheat? Why wouldn't they? They have gone through school and Uni ...now have a chance for a job-for-life and status for loans and in society.

Teachers are conduits transferring knowledge from past and present into the future.

Teachers caught cheating...fail the grade...how can you teach students to be successful if you get caught yourself.

True but, how else can they pass exams without cheating?

[GentlemanJim]

It would be more of a headline (and more representative) if it read:

After extensive investigation into every branch of Government in every department throughout the nation, the DSI did not find corruption in 4 departments.

[GentlemanJim]

I also assume that Tarit and the DSI are making big of this investigation into the education department to try and ensure that the investigation by one of the nations top police forces into the exams of assistant teachers! will be firmly in the minds of the people, rather than the billions that will have been stolen from the school tablet procurement exercise, which clearly does not seem important enough to warrant it's own investigation.!

[Pimay1]

Quoting 101, Pimay1, stay after class.

No problem if I use computer. iPad only. Guess I need to start using the iPad app.

[allalong]

This is just the tip of the iceberg, The real education corruption takes place in many of our schools. have you ever wondered why many school accountants have fancy cars? and the strange thing is the staff don't get issued with pay slips at the end of the month. and furthermore the letter of appointment has one figure, the tax submission to the revenue department has another figure and the actual bank deposit is another figure.

Very true.and kickbacks to those in schools who hand contracts to businesses doing work for the school.One example with a connection to foriegners is an Agency who has a contract to supply English teachers to the them. Edited March 21, 2013 by allalong