Buddhist schools probed over claim of inflated student numbers
National Office for Buddhism (NOB) branch offices are to probe budget spending at Phrapariyatidhamma schools across the country following a monk’s complaint last week that some institutes had allegedly exaggerated the number of their students, said NOB director-general Pongporn Pramsanehon on Monday.
Buddhist scripture schools, funded by the NOB and under curricular supervision of the Education Ministry, were opened by temples to provide lower and upper secondary level education to Thai monks and novices.
NOB branch offices would join the respective school cluster offices to check the number of students at each school in their jurisdiction to get an accurate update for a report to the Buddhist Education Division by July 6, Pongporn said.
Pongporn said the fact-finding probe was in response to a complaint which didn’t necessarily mean there was corruption going on.
As for a separate probe into some NOB officials’ alleged involvement in siphoning maintenance funds allocated to temples, Pongporn said the fact-finding panel had investigated several temples and they aimed to complete the probe within 60 days.
Four NOB officials, including deputy director-general Pranom Kongpikul were accused of embezzling Bt60 million from maintenance funds belonging to 12 temples in six provinces, while four civilians were accused of aiding and abetting the crime.
One temple each in Ayutthaya, Lamphun, Phetchaburi and Chumphon, as well as three in Amnat Charoen and five in Lampang, were implicated.
Pongporn said the deputy director-general, now facing the fact-finding probe, was not yet officially suspended from work as she has not been found guilty of any crime.