PUBLISHED : 12 Jan 2024 at 04:00
The Office of the Basic Education Commission (Obec) yesterday said a 43-year-old deputy school director in the northern province of Tak is facing the sack after an investigation found there were grounds to claims he molested a number of female students and sent inappropriate messages.
The deputy, whose name was withheld, had been transferred to Obec’s headquarters pending the preliminary fact-finding investigation that began on Jan 5.
On Sunday, the school’s director, whose name was also withheld, was also transferred to Obec’s office to ensure the investigation would be free and fair.
According to a source, the director had allegedly suppressed and ignored complaints made by students against the deputy.
News about the investigation came after a post calling for legal help for the victims was posted on the Red Skull Facebook on Jan 5.
It said the victims were Matthayom 2 to Matthayom 6 students at the Rat Prachanukhro 55 School in the border province.
The post claimed that the deputy director had been harassing girls for years.
The girls were called to the deputy director’s house to work on a project but would instead be sexually assaulted, it said.
Some of the victims said the deputy director had also sent them pictures of his genitalia, it said.
At least 15 students have had to leave the school since last year due to the allegations, it added.
On Wednesday, copies of explicit messages allegedly sent by the deputy director were posted on the Red Skull Facebook page.
Most of the students at the school were Hmong or Karen people who left their homes in remote villages to study, it said.
Kesthip Supawanich, Obec deputy secretary-general, said a serious disciplinary probe will conclude when possible. The teacher is expected to face the sack, she said.
Other personnel who contributed to the wrongdoing, either by concealing crimes or neglecting children, will face punishment, she said.
“The safety of the students is of the utmost importance,” the Obec spokesperson said.