Recruitment slur highlights Rajabhat varsity's flaws

EDUCATION Minister Admiral Narong Pipattanasai has suggested Rajabhat Universities review their teaching-learning methods to uncover for themselves any flaws in the system – and solve them. 

His comment yesterday responded to claims involving Siam Commercial Bank (SCB)’s allegedly selective policy of recruitment that prompted Rajabhat Universities to threaten to ban transactions with the bank.

The matter would be discussed at the universities’ rectors’ meeting on July 3. SCB had earlier denied the recruitment discrimination allegations. It would also send representatives to the July 3 meeting in Chanthaburi province to clarify the misunderstandings, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University rector Luedech Kerdwichai said yesterday. 

SCB representatives would also meet with the Higher Education Commission today, a source reported. 

Education Minister Narong pointed out that all institutes – public, Rajabhat or Rajamangala universities – must improve themselves continuously for acceptance and credibility among business operators. He said he wouldn’t judge whether any university was better or worse than any other - but he believed an institute’s graduation quality record would attract choices by companies or organisations. 

Narong said the ministry couldn’t create criteria or require organisations or companies to use the examinations in deciding their recruitment choices. This was a matter for each organisation to decide on.

Piniti Ratananukoon, chief of the Office of the Higher Education Commission, said he personally believed bachelor degree graduates must be of the same standard, although they differed in skills. Institutes must equip their soon-to-be graduates with skills that were needed in the 21st century, including languages, social adjustment, problem-solving and leadership. Piniti said his office would check on the higher education management standards and was formulating criteria for the undergraduate and graduate curriculum to be implemented soon.

 Education Ministry permanent secretary Kamjorn Tatiyakavee said he had learned that the bank ad behind the controversy was to take students from 14 institutes for training through cooperation projects – and that many Rajabhat University graduates were also taken in as student trainees at SCB and other establishments. 

King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang acting rector Suchatvee Suwansawat urged that business operators should be more open-minded when recruiting people. They should not be fixated on only some universities - but give opportunities to all graduates. 

“Thailand has more than 200 universities. They cannot believe that only 14 places represented [applicants of] quality,” he said, adding that this incident should remind any institute to review itself and work for improvement.