
The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) will review related laws to determine if Senator Keskamol Pleansamai’s “professor” title complies with regulations.
Dr Keskamol’s academic credentials are under public scrutiny after she received the highest number of votes in the recent Senate election. Questions have been raised over her use of the professor title, while there seems to be no evidence of her teaching at any academic institution.
Addressing questions surrounding the senator’s academic credentials, MHESI Minister Supamas Isarabhakdi said there are regulations governing academic positions of assistant professor, associate professor and professor.
Applications for such academic roles must be submitted through Thai universities to the ministry for consideration before they are submitted for royal endorsement, she said.
When asked if the senator could use the title “professor” when giving personal information, Ms Supamas said, “I don’t think she can. A university that hires the individual will make the equivalency assessment.”
Due to this controversy, Ms Supamas also said that the ministry is considering examining the credentials of individuals who have earned professorships abroad and wish to work in Thailand.
However, the minister said she is unsure if using the “professor” title without a formal equivalency assessment by a university is an offence and that she will have to look into related laws.
Ms Supamas also pointed out that the US education authorities will investigate whether Dr Keskamol legitimately earned a PhD from California University, while the ministry’s job is to make an equivalence assessment.
Last week, Dr Keskamol refuted netizens’ claims about her educational background, saying that she had graduated from California University in the United States and confirmed that she had done all the research herself.
Dr Keskamol further said the “professor” title from foreign universities cannot be compared to ones in Thailand.