The Education Ministry will be asked to put on hold the planned purchase of study materials for junior high school students in the Northeast after irregularities in the procurement project were detected, says the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC).
Several irregularities were found during a probe into the project undertaken by the Secondary Education Office Service Area 28, which covers Yasothon and Si Sa Ket, according to Pol Lt Col Samart Chainarong, director of the 3rd regional PACC office.
Secondary Education Office Service Area 28 is among several offices in charge of education in 11 northeastern provinces which are being probed for irregularities in their procurement programmes.
The project concerns the purchase of 24 sets of study materials aimed to develop the skills of junior high school students, worth 600,200 baht in total.
Irregularities were detected even though the contracts have not yet been signed, said Pol Lt Col Samart. The suppliers of the materials were selected through electronic bidding.
The same companies were found to have won the bidding for the project in many schools although some schools do not need the materials, according to Pol Lt Col Samart.
However, the Secondary Education Office Service Area 28 allegedly ordered the materials for them anyway.
In the PACC findings, after some companies won the bid to supply the equipment, the list of study materials to be procured was changed. The change occurred during the budget allocation process and before the money was approved, he said.
He insisted the procurement process must go back to square one.
The probe also found most of the materials slated for procurement are more expensive than market prices, he said.
The project was apparently opened to possible graft.
Pol Lt Col Samart said he would report the probe to the secretary-generals of the PACC and the Office of the Basic Education Commission.