University official accused of cheating for his son

University official accused of cheating for his son

A group of lecturers have demanded education authorities take action over charges that the president of an autonomous university in Bangkok changed academic grades for his son, a student at the school.

The lecturers submitted copies of a petition demanding an investigation into the case by the Education Ministry and Office of the Higher Education Commission (Ohec), a report in Matichon newspaper said..

Tawil Paungma, president of King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Lat Krabang, said he believed the charges were political, and stemmed from the upcoming selection of seven rectors and deans for the suburban Bangkok campus.

Prof Dr Tawil: KMITL is committed to providing lessons in morality and decency. (Photo from KMITL website)

According to a report in Khaosod, Dr Prof Tawil denied he had ordered changes in the recorded grades of eight subjects by his son, a student at KMITL.

He said that although the grades for eight subjects were changed, it may have been a clerical error, because the university has so many students. He has ordered staff to change any wrong grades back.  

Some of his son’s grade remain at D, so how could be have ordered a change, he asked a reporter.

According to Prof Dr Tawil, a KMITL committee had investigated allegations of changed grades, but there was no final conclusion.

“It may be a setup to destroy me so I cannot continue to work here," the university president said. "There are strong politics here (on campus), but grading or grade changing is done by the lecturers of each subject, and the administration cannot get involved or even request to see grades,” he claimed.

The academics submitted their petition demanding a high-level investigation to Apichart Jeerawut, secretary-general of Ohec, and Pongthep Thepkanchana, former education minister, according to Matichon.

A source at Ohec said the petition indicated that the university official had managed to change grades in eight subjects during the first semester of 2012, allegedly when the young man was a freshman at the university.

Such behaviour is unethical and may seriously breach discipline in amending grades incorrectly and unfairly.

On the KMITL website, Prof Dr Tawil has a posted message, in which he says the school is dedicated to academic and moral excellence.

"KMITL is committed to provide education and advanced research in science, engineering and technology, as well as morality, arts and culture preservation," the message states. "KMITL also endeavours to educate the young men and women who want to shape the future of the new era with decency."

Lecturers reportedly uncovered the cheating when they were asked by a student to recheck the grading of a course in Fundamental English, and found that the grade of one student recorded in the electronic system for the official's son was different from that recorded by the lecturer in the official report to the registrar's office.

The electronic system showed his grade as B, but the paper recorded it as D.

The English-language lecturer reported approached the university official last Nov 27, asking for an investigation into the issue. He demanded the grade be changed back to a D, but there was no action, the petition states.

Later, lecturers at the school found there were changes in grades in seven other subjects for the same student. Four upgraded a failing F grade to a higher, passing grade.

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