Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin on Tuesday ordered the abrupt transfer of Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) deputy secretary-general Narong Paewpolsong to the Regional Education Office 15 in Chiang Mai.
Narong: Gave budget against orders
The transfer of Mr Narong comes during an investigation into alleged corruption in a 279-million-baht project to buy equipment for students in 600 schools for occupational training.
During its recent field inspection in the Northeast, the Education Ministry found several educational service area offices in the region had requested a budget to buy equipment for occupational training, even though many schools insisted they did not want it.
According to Lt Gen Kosol Prathumchart, adviser to Dr Teerakiat, who led the inspection, there were applications, for example, from some offices for tractors even though the schools cited did not have agricultural plots on which to train their students.
Therefore, Dr Teerakiat ordered Obec to put the project on hold and set up a special committee to look into the matter. However, Mr Narong, a day later, signed a document to proceed with the procurement despite Dr Teerakiat's order.
"The minister got angry that his order was ignored, so he set up a fact-finding committee to probe Mr Narong," a source said.
"It is clear that there are irregularities in this project. However, the transfer does not mean Mr Narong is guilty or involved in graft. If the results of the probe indicate that Mr Narong is innocent, he will be transferred back to his position," Dr Teerakiat said.
Aside from Mr Narong, the Education Ministry yesterday also transferred 10 directors of educational service area offices in the Northeast amid allegations of corruption.
Meanwhile, Dr Teerakiat also revealed that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday ordered him to launch an investigation into a lunch programme at two schools in Surat Thani and Phichit after video clips showed students being served unhealthy food went viral.
