University over-enrolls, graduating students punished
147,000 baht tuition wasted as graduates not allowed to get license needed to become school director. University broke rules, but students punished.
147,000 baht tuition wasted as graduates not allowed to get license needed to become school director. University broke rules, but students punished.
EDUCATION & REGULATION
University over-enrolls, graduating students punished
Legal action threat if no payouts okayed
10/07/2017
Dumrongkiat Mala
More than 800 master's degree graduates of Bangkok-Thonburi University (BTU) protested Sunday against the university's executives after their bid for educational administrator licences was rejected.
The protest took place at Thammasat University by graduates of the BTU's Educational Administration Programme.
147,000 BAHT IN TUITION WASTED AFTER LICENSING REJECTED
Each of them had to pay tuition fees of at least 147,000 baht to join the programme.
However, the Teachers' Council of Thailand (TCT) decided against granting them licences to teach after graduation.
IF YOU CAN'T GET A JOB, SHOULD YOU GET YOUR EDUCATION MONEY BACK?
Nirodh Nimwiwatthana, the group leader, said protesters wanted the BTU's executives to negotiate with the TCT to issue them licences or the university should refund the tuition fees.
"We do not mind if we have to be transferred to other universities, because we need educational administrator licences to apply for a school director position," Mr Nirodh said.
"If they cannot provide us with the licences, they must refund the money we have paid."
LIMITED COMPENSATION OFFERED BY SCHOOL
BTU has offered compensation ranging from 30,000 baht to 70,000 baht to affected students, but most did not accept the offer as the amount was too low.
The group said it would consult the Lawyers Council of Thailand about filing a lawsuit for fraud against the BTU if the problem isn't solved by July 25.
UNIVERSITY BROKE RULES: ENROLLED MORE STUDENTS THAN ALLOWED
Last year, the TCT decided not to issue administrator licences for about 2,500 master's graduates of BTU's Educational Administration Programme in 2014 after irregularities were found.
The TCT started a probe when it noticed a large number of graduates applying for licences in a short period of time.
AFTER OVER-ENROLLMENT UNIVERSITY LABELED 'SUB-STANDARD COURSE'
The BTU was among 11 universities nationwide found to have enrolled more students than allowed.
The TCT considered the programme a sub-standard course as it had taken in more than 2,500 post-grad students, who are teachers, when it was allowed to take only 500.
TOO MANY ADMINISTRATOR LICENSES ISSUED: 1 MILLION FOR 5 MILLION TEACHERS
According to the Education Ministry, more than one million teaching and educational administrator licences have been issued by the TCT since 2004.
The number of licences issued has been judged to be too high, relative to the five million teachers nationwide.
"Why didn't government agencies act earlier to prevent this situation from developing?" is an obvious question raised by this shocking state of affairs.
PROSPECT OF MASS UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG TEACHING GRADUATES
Thailand now faces the prospect of mass unemployment among graduates of teaching programs after universities and colleges, which offer teacher preparation programmes, took in too many students in their courses.
This is according to Chaiyot Imsuwan, former TCT acting secretary-general.
Universities and colleges have used teaching courses as a cash cow and deliberately took in too many students to make money from fees, he said.
The Bangkok Post contacted BTU's Graduate School, but the school declined to comment.
WHY DIDN'T GOVT TAKE ACTION EARLIER TO AVOID HARM TO STUDENTS?
Why were government agencies that oversee education not able to catch this earlier, thus avoiding the harm done to many innocent hard-working students?
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1284175/800-uni-grads-seek-refund-in-licence-row
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