Prize-winning teacher admits to plagiarism
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A Suphan Buri-based teacher has been stripped of a Thailand Innovative Teachers Leadership Award after confessing that his prizewinning software project was stolen from students in another province.
The competition for the teachers’ award was held in early February.
“It is true that I have submitted the students’ work under my name without seeking any prior approval,” Sompong Promthongdee, a teacher at Chang Wittaya School, said yesterday via a Facebook message.
The message appeared on the wall of the Thailand Partners in Learning page.
On Wednesday, the judging panel of the Thailand Innovative Teachers Leadership Award announced on the same wall that it had already removed Sompong from the list of award winners, disqualifying him from receiving a royally granted trophy.
The award competition is organised by Microsoft (Thailand).
Sompong was among 10 winners who went on a free trip to New Zealand last month to give presentations about their works.
Sompong admitted the wrongdoing and apologised only after a teacher at Satri Angthong School exposed him.
“He expressed an interest in my students’ project. So, I shared information with him. I never thought he would do something like this,” Atirat Phumsakha said.
Atirat was the adviser on a software project developed by two students at his school, Thanapat Prateepthong and Pichaya Sunthornmaykhin.
The project won an earlier competition. According to Atirat, Sompong saw the students’ presentation during the first competition and approached him to ask for information on it.
