Education Ministry calls for graft probe in 11 provinces, Surin,SSK.

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Education Ministry calls for graft probe in 11 provinces
By The Nation





Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin



Bribe sought from schools for budget



THE PACC Region 3 director has been told to launch fact-finding probes into alleged corruption in Education Ministry budgets in 11 northeastern provinces.



Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) secretary-general Kornthip Daroj, who issued the order, said yesterday that the agency would also coordinate with the ministry to prevent needless budget requests while some cases covered by the ministry in its initial probe might be revisited by the PACC, he said.



The move follows Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin’s revelation on Wednesday of alleged corruption at various schools in Buri Ram, Surin, Si Sa Ket, Ubon Ratchathani, Amnat Charoen, Yasothon, Roi Et, Kalasin, Maha Sarakham, Nakhon Ratchasima and Chaiyaphum provinces. The ministry’s initial probe had uncovered many graft cases committed by the Office of Basic Education Commission’s (Obec) educational service area offices, Kornthip said.

He cited as example the case of the 28th Secondary Educational Service Area Office in Yasothon, which had proposed a Bt279-million project to buy industrial skill development materials for lower-secondary students at about Bt600,000 each for the 458 participating schools, Kornthip said. Subsequently, the number of schools was increased to 600. Many schools also complained about alleged fixing of specifications and that the purchased materials were not what the schools had asked for or needed.



In another case, an official at the 5th Primary Educational Service Area Office in Nakhon Ratchasima province was found to have been making needless budget requests for many schools, Kornthip said. Another 57 partly-blank budget requests had been filed to later fill in information for seeking reimbursement from the leftover budget at the end of the fiscal year. Although the Nakhon Ratchasima official was punished and placed on probation, the PACC would probe it again because such budget withdrawals required codes that only the head accountant and the office director would know, raising suspicions that this official might have had some accomplices, he said.



The director of an educational service area office in Buri Ram province was accused of demanding a 10-per cent commission for allocation of budgets to local schools. Most of them had to comply with the demand for commission or they would have had to forfeit their budgets, Kornthip added.



On Wednesday, Education Minister Teerakiat said he was shocked to know about wrongdoings in the 11 northeastern provinces from a report by his adviser, Lt-General Kosol Prathumchatabout. Kosol said the Buri Ram educational service area office director was accused of demanding commission fees for budget allocations in fiscal year 2019. The complaint was filed by 10 school directors who had testified about the demand for a bribe. Obec has been told to proceed with legal action against the accused director.



Disciplinary probes



Kosol said the budget request for Yasothon’s skill development material procurement project was now being considered by Obec, which has sent letters asking schools to confirm if they were interested in the materials requisitioned under the project.



Obec assistant secretary-general Amporn Pinasa on Wednesday said the agency had begun a fact-finding probe against three former directors of the Buri Ram educational service area offices.



They were accused of being involved in bogus teacher training to appropriate funds from the budget. He said the fact-finding panel had concluded that serious disciplinary probes should be launched against the three unnamed former directors, currently serving in other positions – two at Bangkok educational service area offices and one at a regional education office.



Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30346799





-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-06-02
 
Prakhonchai Nick said:
Time to deal with state corruption, Vietnamese style.
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I would volunteer to pull the trigger. All I have to do is see in my minds eye. The poor children licking food wrappers in my rubbish bin once again. Their families had, had their destitute money stolen.
It broke my heart, no excuse for it in this country, it has to stop!
What you don't hear in the news is any punitive punishment. All you hear is that got transferred or sacked.
 
Rice said:
I would volunteer to pull the trigger. All I have to do is see in my minds eye. The poor children licking food wrappers in my rubbish bin once again. Their families had, had their destitute money stolen.
It broke my heart, no excuse for it in this country, it has to stop!
What you don't hear in the news is any punitive punishment. All you hear is that got transferred or sacked.
Click to expand...
Fukinel rice, that broke my heart just reading it let alone seeing it.
 
robjak said:
Fukinel rice, that broke my heart just reading it let alone seeing it.
Click to expand...

It broke my heart too and continues to upset me when I think of it. I have not been able to post it on the forum till now. I did tell another SF member about it at the time it happened I had to share with someone. It was very upsetting. The children had not ate for days but still had to walk out to the rice fields where I live to plant their couple of Rai otherwise they would starve indeed. I wish I was making this up. But there are those that slip through the cracks, which rely on government handouts. But when these handouts get stolen they starve.
I only saw the children that one day when the planting was on. Bye the way I did give them all breakfast that morning. Wouldn't you.?
Do you think those that stole the money would feel any remorse if they saw what I saw.
Mostly the children that are hungry go to the Wat to eat what is left from the monks, but with the planting on there was no time. If you miss the clean up that morning you miss the feed.
I know there are some on here that dislike the saffron mafia and for good reason. But they are not all bad. I know the monks in two of my local wats and the head honcho of the whole district is a long term friend I give them both money to help with the local poor.
 
Rice, it's a very difficult topic you touch on. I can't say I've seen children go through the rubbish bins to find food although it's a pretty frequent occurrence with the soi dogs looking for food in Surin. Shortly after I married my wife, now 14 years ago, I did consider setting aside some money each month to help some of her younger relatives. However, it soon became apparent that if one were to try and help one if would quickly mushroom and one would soon be helping the whole village. It would cost a small fortune. However, I still think about the problem and, in particular, of the mothers and the fathers who spend all their cash on alcohol and cards, their offspring abandoned to fend for themselves. Throwing money at the problem is not the answer, I feel it would only promote more drinking and more gambling. It's one reason I seldom go to the village these days, I got tired of complete strangers spying a Farang and asking for a beer or three. Instant friends everywhere! I do not see any easy answer to the problem of providing proper support for all. Most villagers are pretty poor and what money they have seems to go on booze on gambling. Its not right, that is for sure, but there are some things that we 'outsiders' can not influence or change. As you say, the safety net is there with the temple morning food collections that those less fortunate than ourselves may eat.
 
nomad97 said:
Rice, it's a very difficult topic you touch on. I can't say I've seen children go through the rubbish bins to find food although it's a pretty frequent occurrence with the soi dogs looking for food in Surin. Shortly after I married my wife, now 14 years ago, I did consider setting aside some money each month to help some of her younger relatives. However, it soon became apparent that if one were to try and help one if would quickly mushroom and one would soon be helping the whole village. It would cost a small fortune. However, I still think about the problem and, in particular, of the mothers and the fathers who spend all their cash on alcohol and cards, their offspring abandoned to fend for themselves. Throwing money at the problem is not the answer, I feel it would only promote more drinking and more gambling. It's one reason I seldom go to the village these days, I got tired of complete strangers spying a Farang and asking for a beer or three. Instant friends everywhere! I do not see any easy answer to the problem of providing proper support for all. Most villagers are pretty poor and what money they have seems to go on booze on gambling. Its not right, that is for sure, but there are some things that we 'outsiders' can not influence or change. As you say, the safety net is there with the temple morning food collections that those less fortunate than ourselves may eat.
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Have to largely agree with Nomad on the above. However, living in a village, it is plain to see that most villagers are initially not as poor as one would think. But they make themselves poor by drinking, gambling, borrowing to gamble more and trying to repay their loans.

With so many village parents (or often just the single female parent) working away from home, Grandma has control of the kids. But like every other villager, Grandma likes her booze and gambling, so that the meagre 1,000baht or so that is sent home is frittered away, leaving the kids with no food before school, often no shoes, YET the monks on their morning rounds rarely go without! Sickens me!
 
Rice said:
All I have to do is see in my minds eye. The poor children licking food wrappers in my rubbish bin once again. Their families had, had their destitute money stolen.
Click to expand...

I'm not familiar with that expression.
What exactly happened ?
 
Coffee said:
I'm not familiar with that expression.
What exactly happened ?
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Regardless of the expression, Coffee, those government officials whose job it was to forward government aid money designated for the less well off to the appropriate aid people, and some of the aid people too, missappropriated the funds, so that most of those in need never received anything. ****!
 
@Prachonchai Nick
I read the article in the OP on graft in its entirety. :expressionless:

I didn't read anything about funds taken or misappropriated from taking care of those who are less well off or funds specifically designated for aiding those who are less well off. :flushed:

What're you on about now ?
 
Coffee said:
I'm not familiar with that expression.
What exactly happened ?
Click to expand...

OK, So I did not make it so clear for you. Funds from The Protection for the Destitute, were stolen. Is That clearer for you.

You can gleam more information from this article to get up to speed. Sorry for Hijacking the OP on a particular corruption case.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1427103/welfare-fraud-tab-put-at-b97m.

AS you say @nomad97 you cannot save the world. But contributing to the local wat to monks I know, helps a little, better then nothing at all.
 
Ahh yes...the news story from March about US$3 million being misappropriated.
Why that's $ 0.10 for each person on social assistance in LOS !!! :fearscream:

(Oh yes, I can well understand why one sees those less fortunate sucking on wrappers from piles of trash.) :rolleyes:


Oh my Lawd will wonders never cease.
You've really captured hitting the high points of what was missing from the article in this OP. :mask:

Peace out. ;;victory;;
 
Coffee said:
@Prachonchai Nick
I read the article in the OP on graft in its entirety. :expressionless:

I didn't read anything about funds taken or misappropriated from taking care of those who are less well off or funds specifically designated for aiding those who are less well off. :flushed:

What're you on about now ?
Click to expand...

As usual, one thing led to another, The thread was specifically about graft in the Education ministry, but mention was made about corruption elsewhere, especially involving the poorest in society and the destitute.. I expanded upon that for your benefit.

Rice has nicely provided a link to this additional corruption amongst government officials. Loosely linked as the education ministry graft affects all students including those from the poorest backgrounds.
 
Coffee said:
Ahh yes...the news story from March about US$3 million being misappropriated.
Why that's $ 0.10 for each person on social assistance in LOS !!! :fearscream:

(Oh yes, I can well understand why one sees those less fortunate sucking on wrappers from piles of trash.) :rolleyes:


Oh my Lawd will wonders never cease.
You've really captured hitting the high points of what was missing from the article in this OP. :mask:

Peace out. ;;victory;;
Click to expand...
Since I was kind enough to expand on your question can you please tell me how you know how many persons are on assistance and how the losses work out to 10 cents per person.
Please don't be so vague with some esoteric stupid comment and tell me what the f**k do you really mean. Because your comment comes across very poorly indeed. I thought you were better then that.
 
Rice , even if the Department of Social Development and Welfare handles only 1% of the Thai population you're looking at 600,000.

That US$3 Million I quoted above comes out to $5.oo /p.p. annually...(or THB 160 /p.p. annually).

But sure you and Nick can hijack the thread and can manipulate the reality anyway you wish. You've got the blessing of the management.

You both came to a country that was so fooked from every Western perspective and narrative...yet you both bought into it and had Great Expectations.

You're both so abhorred at to what has been sitting in front of your eyes from day one.
Yes, some families send their children out to work the 'nasty' in order to move up the food chain...been going on in LOS for over fifty years. Surprise. :flushed:
 
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