Assistant teachers to be fired in cheating scandal

Pisit Chotking, director of Nakhon Ratchasima Primary Educational Service Area Office 3, said yesterday that it was preparing to dismiss six newly appointed assistant teachers at schools under his office’s supervision.

The DSI had advised the office and 118 other offices to dismiss 344 assistant teachers accused of cheating in the exam.

Of these 344 suspects, 48 assistant teachers allegedly involved in the scandal were from Nakhon Ratchasima.

Pisit said his office was reported to have eight people accused of being involved. He was waiting for an official letter from the Office of the Teacher Civil Service and Educational Personnel Commission (OTEPC) to allow OTEPC’s subcommittees in each educational zone to revoke the appointments of the alleged cheaters. He will then attend a meeting with the subcommittee in his educational zone and later send a letter to instruct schools to dismiss six of the assistant teachers.

The DSI could also summon for interrogation another two alleged cheats who had not been appointed assistant teachers. 

Previously, Phongthep insisted that OTEPC’s meeting clearly resolved last Friday that the 344 cheats would be removed from their positions as government officials. 

Phongthep said Deputy Education Minister Sermsak Pongpanich would soon report to him findings concluded by a fact-finding panel on the exam cheating. They would discuss if he should set up a disciplinary committee to inspect four high-ranking officials at Office of the Basic Education Commission accused of wrongly refusing to perform duties or not.

He added that the accused officials would be allowed to explain.