Two possibilities to resolve impasse
THE Higher Education Commission has offered two possible solutions for Education Minister General Dapong Ratanasuwan to use to resolve Assumption University (Abac)’s prolonged management conflict.
The first proposal is to apply mediation guidelines while the second is for the minister to set up a committee to take over management authority from the university president and council as per Article 86 of the Private University Act.
The commission acknowledged at a meeting on Wednesday that the conflict within Abac, a long-established and renowned institution, would deal major blows to the image of higher education in Thailand as well as affect students and teachers once the semester begins on Monday. Commission chairperson Khunying Sumontha Promboon said the minister intended to opt for the mediation guideline. She added that the assigned fact-finding panel had concluded its findings and suggested that both sides reconcile.
On the Article 86 option to assign a committee composed of five to 15 members, Sumontha said this was applicable if a private university was having a problem that could affect the country’s security, culture, orderliness or public morality.
Since Abac’s problems affected all these points, the committee could take over management of the university after announcing the decision in newspapers for at least three days.
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