Cash ban at leading school exam triggers online controversy

Triam Udom Suksa School held its entrance examination for Mathayom 4 students for the 2026 academic year at IMPACT Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi on Saturday (March 7), from 8.30am to 2pm. 

A total of 13,895 applicants sat the exam this year, marking a record high over the past 18 years, although the school is accepting only 1,520 students.

However, the examination venue quickly became the centre of online controversy after Facebook user Chiratchai Pawiwaranon posted images showing students leaving cash, watches, jewellery, stationery and cosmetics on the ground because such items were prohibited from being taken into the exam room.

In the post, he wrote: “If anyone can contact Hone Krasae, please do. Cash is not allowed into the exam room and has to be thrown in the bin. How are the children supposed to get home? Not every parent is sitting there waiting for their child. I really feel sorry for them.”

“Believe it or not, this also disturbs the children’s concentration during the exam. Some of them must be shocked and worried about how they will get home, especially as they do not have their mobile phones either.”

He added in the comments: “University entrance exams are already absurd enough, with bans on wearing Buddha amulets or sacred strings tied around the wrist in the exam room. But this is just a Mathayom 4 entrance exam, and they are banning students from carrying cash and even making them throw it away.”

However, Triam Udom Suksa School had issued a notice as early as March 4 specifying which items could be brought into the exam room. There was also a baggage deposit point provided at the venue. 

This has raised questions over whether some candidates may not have read the regulations carefully or allowed enough time to use the baggage deposit service before the exam began.

Principal says cash ban was clearly announced in advance

Dr Pichet Phophakdee, Secretary-General of the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC), said he was already aware of the incident after inspecting the examination venue earlier in the morning. Overall, he said the venue had been well prepared, with baggage deposit points and waiting rooms for parents.

As for the list of prohibited items, he said the restrictions had been publicised in advance in order to prevent cheating.

Meanwhile, Boonyapong Photivuttanut, principal of Triam Udom Suksa School, said the school had made it clear from the outset which items were not allowed inside the exam room. Since this was a competitive examination with 13,895 candidates, strict rules were necessary to prevent any problems involving cheating.

“The Muang Thong Thani examination venue was well prepared, with a large number of baggage deposit points arranged for candidates. Before the exam, the school had continuously publicised the rules, and most students were well aware of the details,” he said.

Boonyapong added that most candidates already understood which items were permitted and which were not. Only a small number of students left their belongings behind because they were rushing to enter the exam in time. 

If the venue had allowed prohibited items into the exam room, it could have caused even greater disorder. He stressed that the regulations were the same as in previous years.

He said that if parents or students had read the school’s regulations carefully, they would have known that only a few items were allowed in the exam room, such as pencils, pens and the examination identification card, which had to be placed on the desk. 

A long list of items was prohibited, including correction fluid, calculators, bags, banknotes and all kinds of paper, as these could create opportunities for cheating. 

He added that these prohibitions had been in place for a long time and were not newly introduced, and that students sitting the exam were already aware of them.