SURAT THANI: The principal of a school who served meat-free lunches to his pupils has been found guilty of serious misconduct and could face a harsh punishment.
Chumphon Srisung, the provincial education chief, said on Monday that an investigation into the lunch scandal at Ban Tha Mai School in Tha Chana district found school director Somchao Sitthichen had severely violated disciplinary regulations.
The official said the punishments for the misconduct ranged from a temporary dismissal from civil service to a permanent discharge. The penalty will be decided by the Education Ministry after it receives the investigation report, he added.
The probe was carried out by the Zone 2 Education Office and forwarded to the provincial education chief on Monday.
Mr Somchao was transferred from the school to the Zone 2 Education Office on June 1 to clear the way for investigators to look into the project after they had found grounds on possible corruption involving the budget for pupils' lunch meals.
Under his supervision, the pupils were served plain rice noodles and fish sauce every week, a meal that costs much less than the allocated budget per head of 20 baht.
The issue came to light after a parent had filed a written complaint about the poor quality of the meals at the Dhamrongtham Complaint Centre in the province.
The school director has not been seen since the transfer order took effect as he took leave to return to his home in Nakhon Si Thammarat.
Pratheep Thongduang, the Zone 2 Education Office chief, said Mr Somchao reported to his office on Monday and took another leave until Friday.