Tight security at exam sites for teacher jobs
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No cheating was reported yesterday - the first day of exams to select assistant teachers - after strict measures were taken by education officials.
“We have not received any reports about cheating so far, and stricter measures implemented at the test sites will help to ensure that there won’t be any,” said Pitsanu Tulasuk, acting deputy secretary general for the Office of the Basic Education Commission (Obec). “The process of creating and delivering the test papers was also done and guarded very carefully,” he said.
Yesterday’s exam saw stricter measures implemented to prevent cheating at exam sites in many provinces, especially Nakhon Ratchasima, where large numbers of candidates taking the exam earlier this year were found to have cheated.
As many as 83,930 people are sitting the test this weekend at 398 sites – competing for a mere 1,070 positions. Today’s exam will cover areas of education and also test the candidates’ knowledge of their specialised majors.
Education Minister Phongthep Thepkanjana and top officials at the ministry will visit some sites in Bangkok during the exam today.
Education Ministry permanent secretary Panita Kambhu Na Ayutthaya, who chairs a fact-finding panel that investigated cheating earlier this year, said two officials at Obec would be interviewed this week. During previous exams, one of them was seen in the vicinity of the computer that stored the test paper files and the other allegedly reported to officials that the test paper had been leaked. Panita said her panel would submit the results of its investigation to Deputy Education Minister Sermsak Pongpanich in early July.
More than 4,000 people took the exam in Nakhon Ratchasima yesterday. Technicians at exam sites in the province used vehicles equipped with signal jammers to prevent mobile phones being used and metal detectors to scan the test-takers. No belongings were allowed at exam sites, other than items needed to take the exam.
Strict measures were also implemented in Udon Thani where all candidates were required to wear white T-shirts. Officials inspected the pockets of the 2,500 students taking the exam to prevent them taking in mobile phones and other banned items. Those who turned up not wearing T-shirts were frisked before officials allowed them to enter. Test papers were also stored in an area watched by 10 CCTV cameras.
