‘Ghost students’ mystery probed in Northeast

Nation
More than 10 schools in the Northeast have been accused of exaggerating the number of students enrolled, possibly to gain benefits based on scale, the director of the Third Regional Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) office said on Monday.

Pol Lt Col Samart Chainarong said random checks among schools in Si Sa Ket, Yasothon and Nakhon Ratchasima this month found three schools where the number of students had allegedly been exaggerated.


At Kham Sakaesaeng School in Nakhon Ratchasima, new director Rangsiroj Palawat on November 22 allegedly reported 191 “ghost students”.


The Office of Basic Education Commission’s online database counts 1,510 students at that school, but there are in fact only 1,319, Samart said.



The PACC office expanded its investigation to all eight provinces in its jurisdiction, the others being Surin, Buri Ram, Amnat Charoen, Ubon Ratchathani and Chaiyaphum.


Samart said student numbers so far appear exaggerated at 10 more schools.


If the student body increases from less than 500 to the range of 500-1,499 students, the school director is eligible for transfer to a larger school.


Samart said the investigation was continuing and would try to determine why directors want those transfers, since it would not alter their salaries.


He suspected that postings to larger schools might bring other benefits, such as “tea money” kickbacks from parents seeking to place their children in the school.




?Ghost students? mystery probed in Northeast

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If the student body increases from less than 500 to the range of 500-1,499 students, the school director is eligible for transfer to a larger school.

Samart said the investigation was continuing and would try to determine why directors want those transfers, since it would not alter their salaries.

He suspected that postings to larger schools might bring other benefits, such as “tea money” kickbacks from parents seeking to place their children in the school.

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If he really thinks the only reason school directors would want to transfer to a bigger school is for elicit gain, why make it possible at all and why make it possible by way of increasing student numbers in a smaller school? Do away with it completely or make it based on some other reasonable or good reason. Anyway, he's obviously forgotten about the important Thai factor in moving to be director in a bigger school - face. Bigger school, more face.

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Originally Posted by misskit

If the student body increases from less than 500 to the range of 500-1,499 students, the school director is eligible for transfer to a larger school.

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I think it's because the government grants funds to schools based on the number of students enrolled. If a school gets extra money from the government due to inflated enrollment, I wonder where the money goes?

I know the parents of students that enrolled at a private school could apply the money for their child that that a government school would have been given for that student's enrollment once upon a time.

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Originally Posted by misskit

He suspected that postings to larger schools might bring other benefits, such as “tea money” kickbacks from parents

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How about dealing with that problem too, instead of just accepting it as part of the natural order of things?

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Originally Posted by CSFFan

If a school gets extra money from the government due to inflated enrollment, I wonder where the money goes?

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You don't really...you know full well. As do we all. :)