Teaching assistant candidates sit for exams on Sunday, April 20. Photo: Office of the Basic Education Commission
Although they had no reason to do so, a school director and two certified teachers from Buriram province sat for exams among nearly 100,000 assistant-teacher candidates over the weekend.
Now education officials are investigating the three men – reportedly siblings – for impropriety after it was discovered they traveled from Buriram to take highly competitive recruitment tests for assistant teaching positions nationwide. Only 1,888 positions were available.
Buriram school director Phitak Supalerk and teachers Chompon Supalerk and Tanakit Supalerk took the exams held Saturday and Sunday.
Phitak took the test at a Samut Sakhon testing center on Satuday, where it just so happened nine Buriram applicants were registered to test.
Phitak and Thanakit said they both held an innocent curiosity about the exam, according to the Bangkok Post.
The Office of the Basic Education Commission said the men’s participation was “dishonest” and would be investigated.
Theoretically, the three men are education professionals tasked with monitoring the academic honesty of their pupils.
More than endemic, cheating and academic dishonesty are norms in Thailand’s education system, where scores drive enrollment opportunity and the prevailing social pressure is to facilitate cheating compatriots.
Related:
Cheatland: Dispatches from the front lines of academic deceit
