The Office of the Basic Education Commission (Obec) recently made headlines when it transferred Prayong Saraphum, the director of Sa Kaeo’s Secondary Education Service Area Office, to its headquarters. This move comes amidst an investigation into his controversial involvement regarding the removal of a woman from a list of candidate teachers in Sa Kaeo province.
Benyapa Yen-udom, an aspiring science teacher, had initially been announced as the top candidate after an exam. However, she was unexpectedly replaced on the list despite achieving the highest test score. Obec plans to conclude this investigation by the end of the week, according to Deputy Education Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul.
Deputy Minister Surasak elaborated that Obec’s legal office has thoroughly reexamined the exam results of approximately 100 candidates to ensure that justice prevails. Should the revaluation reveal that Ms. Benyapa did not indeed achieve the highest mark, she would be compensated for the financial losses she incurred, including her resignation from her current position under false assumptions.
The drama gained public attention last Thursday when a distressed Ms. Benyapa, 24, detailed her plight on Facebook. She recounted how, on September 9, Sa Kaeo’s Secondary Education Service Area Office had proudly announced a list of nine successful examinees – with her name at the top for a science teacher position. However, just three days later, on September 12, her name had mysteriously disappeared from the revised list, replaced by another candidate. The twist in the tale? Ms. Benyapa had already resigned from her teaching job in Ayutthaya, fueled by dreams of returning to her hometown, only to receive a gut-wrenching call from the office, demanding she delete her post.
Mr. Prayong, the director under scrutiny, attributed the chaos to a mix-up by an official who mistakenly switched Ms. Benyapa’s name with the actual top scorer’s, due to a registration number that was just one digit ahead. He firmly stated that Ms. Benyapa did not secure the top spot and wasn’t among the top nine candidates.
Yet, Ms. Benyapa remains unwavering in her belief that she had excelled in the exam. “I want the truth revealed because I have not received a clear explanation as to what happened yet,” she declared.
With emotions running high and the public eagerly awaiting Obec’s final verdict, this episode underscores the importance of transparency and fairness in the educational selection process. What seemed like a bureaucratic blunder has now blossomed into a fierce quest for truth and justice, captivating the entire nation.
This whole situation is absurd! If Benyapa really was the top scorer, she deserves the position, no questions asked.
Agreed, this reeks of corruption. How can they just replace her name like that without any clear explanation?
Maybe it really was just a clerical error, but it wouldn’t hurt to have some transparency.
Clerical error or not, someone’s career and life plans were affected. OBEC needs to do better!
It’s scandalous! This just shows how broken the system can be. You work hard and still get robbed of opportunities.
I don’t understand why it’s taking so long to investigate this. We should know the real top scorer within a day! The system is clearly flawed!
Exactly! If a mistake was made, they should correct it immediately and apologize to Benyapa.
Bureaucracy always drags things out. They probably already know the truth but are trying to save face.
I feel so bad for Benyapa. She resigned from her job thinking she was going to get this new position and now what? Her life is turned upside down.
That’s the real tragedy here. She left her previous job based on their initial announcement. OBEC should compensate her for this distress.
Compensation isn’t enough. Everyone involved in this mix-up needs to be held accountable.
Absolutely. It’s not just about money. It’s about trust in the system.
A simple bureaucratic error? Or something deeper? This needs a thorough investigation.
I think it’s definitely deeper. There’s no way something like this happens without some serious oversight or manipulation.
It could just be an innocent mistake, but the way it was handled is what’s suspicious.
The real issue here is how the educational system is run. There needs to be more checks and balances to ensure transparency.
Exactly! Too much power in the hands of a few people can lead to these kinds of problems.
Other countries manage to avoid these issues better. OBEC should look into those systems for improvements.
The fact that Benyapa had to delete her Facebook post is outrageous. They’re clearly trying to silence her.
That’s a huge red flag. It definitely looks like they’re trying to cover something up.
Freedom of speech is so important. Suppressing her voice is not okay.
I wonder if this has happened before but didn’t get as much attention. How many other candidates have been unfairly treated?
Good point. Benyapa just happened to speak up. How many others quietly accepted their fate?
Huge respect to Benyapa for standing up and demanding an investigation. It must be exhausting.
Public sector jobs should have clear and transparent processes. This shouldn’t even be a debate.
I don’t care about these politics. What matters is if the best teachers are getting hired. Period.