University reform: Prayut invokes Section 44
Chronic problems in universities to be solved: leadership conflicts, sub-standard courses, admission of too many students, lack of good governance.
Chronic problems in universities to be solved: leadership conflicts, sub-standard courses, admission of too many students, lack of good governance.
EDUCATION
Prayut invokes Section 44 to reform universities
Panel set to shake up governing councils
14/07/2016
Dumrongkiat Mala
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has invoked the sweeping powers of Section 44 of the interim constitution to tackle chronic problems in the country's universities and colleges (tertiary education sector).
Any university experiencing internal conflict on its governing council, a lack of good governance, or operating programmes without proper permission may be subject to intervention by the education ministry.
Under the order, the education minister will be able to set up a special committee consisting of five to 15 people to temporarily oversee the university.
The panel would have the power to investigate and end all activities undertaken by university council members and can also suspend the universities from recruiting new students.
PROBLEMS THAT THAILAND'S UNIVERSITIES FACE
The move came after the Ministry of Education found several private and public universities had become entangled with internal disputes over who had the right to be their rector.
The ministry is also concerned some were also providing sub- standard courses or having admitted students to programmes lacking proper permission, including enrolling too many students on certain programmes .
WHY HASN'T THERE BEEN INTERVENTIONS ALREADY?
"In the past, the ministry did not have the power or legal authority to intervene in the power games of each university because each university had its own University Act that stems from the push for decentralisation," Education Minister Dapong Ratanasuwan said.
"But Section 44 now has given us the power, so from now on every problematic institute will have to adjust and improve," he added.
Recently, lecturers and students from various universities have petitioned the ministry to invoke Section 44 to solve problems on their councils.
SURIN & CHAIYAPHUM RAJABHATS FIRST ON THE LIST
According to Mr Dapong, Surin Rajabhat University (SRU) and Chaiyaphum Rajabhat University (CRU) will be the first two universities to be investigated by the ministry's special panel.
These universities were chosen first because of their problems over the selection of rectors which has involved them in the longest-standing conflicts.
He added many more universities have already been put on a waiting list for action.
A source said that after investigating SRU and CRU, the special panel will move on to probe Burapha University, Kasetsart University, Rajamangala University of Technology Tawan-ok and Bangkok-Thonburi University (BTU).
2,500 STUDENTS ADMITTED TO PROGRAM WITH 500 PLACES
"The process of choosing a new rector at the next four universities will be addressed, while BTU will be investigated for allegedly admitting a higher number of post-grad students onto its master's degree programme than permitted," the source said.
According to the Teachers' Council of Thailand, BTU, in 2014, recruited more than 2,500 students to its master's Educational Administration programme, but was permitted to accept only 500.
The pomp, pledges and ceremony of graduation continue but academics warn there is a critical outbreak of plagiarism by teachers and professors using pirated essays, papers and theses. (Photo by Patipat Janthong)
FOCUS ON QUALITY IS ESSENTIAL
Kamjorn Tatiyakavee, the education permanent secretary, said problems within the tertiary sector have persisted for a long time and many universities ran graduate school programmes without focusing on quality.
As a previous article on plagiarism in master's degree thesis work noted, if university teachers are overloaded with students then the quality of student work can suffer (see here).
"To rein in the problems, the Office of the Higher Education Commission had proposed a Higher Education Bill, but the move was opposed by several higher-education institutes," he said.
Mr Kamjorn said a special law would be able to end these chronic problems.
ABAC WAS FIRST UNIVERSITY SUBJECT TO STATE INTERVENTION
Previously, the Education Ministry invoked Section 86 of the Private University Act to set up a panel to take control of the administration of Assumption University, widely known as Abac, to end a conflict over who its rector should be (see here).
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/1035153/prayut-invokes-s44-to-reform-universities
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