AIT lecturers want rector to resign
The assembly of lecturers of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) has called on rector Said Irandoust to resign amid the controversy over the institute's qualification under new Thai legal protocol.
The website of AITAT (AIT Alumni Association Thailand), citing discussions at a meeting of its governing board on Wednesday, the governing board meeting of LAOTSE – a group of technological universities and institutes – called on Irandoust to revive the old protocol, as the new one is against Thailand’s regulations.
Board votes unanimously
The governing board called on Irandoust to resign immediately, with a 33-0 vote and four abstentions. The resignation call did not specify when he should quit. The graduation ceremony is due on December 17.
Wednesday’s meeting of the Academic Senate said it was not confident that Irandoust could steer AIT out of the current problem.
The governing board meeting also called on the AIT board of trustees to keep doing its work while the new protocol was undergoing Parliament’s scrutiny.
The governing board also criticised the current AIT management for its negative attitude towards AITAT (Thailand), while suggesting that it find a new office outside the AIT compound, the AITAT website said.
A member of AITAT (Thailand), Chawalit Jantharat, said the governing board suggested to AIT that it use the old protocol until the new one was made into law and endorsed by the government, so as to prevent new AIT graduates’ diplomas from being rendered invalid, both in Thailand and elsewhere.
The AIT board of trustees is to meet on December 12, when the heads of alumni of AIT in four countries – Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and India – are expected to voice their support for the board of trustees’ proposal to use the old protocol.
