Teaching certificate sales may be rife

[Admin]

Teaching certificate sales may be rife 
Bangkok Post: 28 Apr 2011
UNIVERSITY SCANDAL

Up to 80 state and private universities may be involved in selling teacher certificates or offering courses without accreditation, according to authorities.

The Office of the Higher Education Commission (Ohec), which is investigating a university in Khon Kaen province found to have sold professional teacher certificates to graduates, said it would widen its probe to 77 other providers which it said had produced an unusually high number of teaching graduates.

Ohec secretary-general Sumeth Yamnoon said some of the suspect universities had opened branches and centres around the country, but appeared to lack "proper" standards.

Ohec has appointed a 17-member panel to run E-Sarn University in Khon Kaen after it was found to have sold teacher certificates to its graduates.

The panel, chaired by former deputy director of the Finance Ministry's Budget Bureau Somnuek Pimolsatien, has to go to Education Minister Chinnaworn Boonyakiat for approval.

Ohec deputy secretary-general Phawit Thongroj said the agency was acting under Article 86 of the 2003 Private Higher Education Institution Act, which empowers the Education Ministry to establish a body to look into any private university found to have violated the act, such as opening a course despite having inadequate teachers.

The university's rector Atsadang Sawangkarn will be fined 200,000 baht for failing to abide by Ohec standards.

An Ohec committee found that the private university had sold teacher certificates to graduates who had not finished their teacher education.

The scam came to light when seven recent graduates applied for teaching licences from the Teacher Council of Thailand, known as the Kurusapa Council, and submitted certificates they obtained from the university.

They claimed to have paid between 30,000 baht and 55,000 baht each for their certificates.

The graduates' applications were suspended while the council and Ohec launched an investigation.

Four more graduate teachers who bought teacher certificates from E-Sarn University yesterday testified to Ohec as witnesses.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/234129/teaching-certificate-sales-may-be-rife

[manupete]

Thais paying for job is nothing new,to get a job at our local Ampher is between 50-100k.At the last Tambon elections locals were paying 100k to the Tambon Head to gets jobs to become Village Officials.Teachers paying for  certificates to graduate to just par for the course here in Thailand but at least some are trying to clean up the corruption that is rife in Thailand 

[nookiebear]

Corruption here is getting worse by the month!!

[isanbirder]

There's nothing new in this.  Corruption at universities takes many forms, and this is only one of them.  Students' grades may sometimes be bought  (I could instance a case where a university teacher gave his students a shopping list ("If you want an A, give me one of these").  The teacher concerned went on to higher things.... at another university).  Since Heads of Department can change grades from Fail to Pass without even money changing hands, a Thai University degree is worth very little.  Oh, and Ph.D. theses are often  'ghosted'.

[Pragmatic]

My missus was offered a teaching job at a local school for 50,000 baht. No qualifications required. She did consider it as teaching jobs come with a pension.

[Admin]

My missus was offered a teaching job at a local school for 50,000 baht. No qualifications required. She did consider it as teaching jobs come with a pension.

50,000 Baht salary for teaching job? She should really grab the chance before it goes away!!
I know the salaries are 10,000-30,000 Baht Max.

[Pragmatic]

Sorry I should have said she was offered the job 5 years ago. A policemans kick back for a job is currently around 300,000 Baht.

[Starman]

My missus was offered a teaching job at a local school for 50,000 baht. No qualifications required. She did consider it as teaching jobs come with a pension.

50,000 Baht salary for teaching job? She should really grab the chance before it goes away!!
I know the salaries are 10,000-30,000 Baht Max.

I think Pragmatic meant that the 50000 was the bribe. Not the salary.

New Government teachers now start at about 8000baht a month. This can rise to around 40000+ a month for the most successful after a long period of service. What makes teaching a good job for Thai people is the pension. Large payout when retiring and around 90% of final salary per month until the day you die.

[isanbirder]

Also it's a position which carries respect with it... face, so important in Thailand.

[Dave the Dude]

Wonder how much it is to be a Brain Surgeon or a Gynecologist?   

[den Buut]

And you have the benefit of cheap loans.