Chiang Mai teacher accused of falsifying meal allowances, not redistributing school meals

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) clarified allegations against Chaiyayot Suktho, a special senior teacher (Grade 3) at Yang Pao School, Aom Koi district, Chiang Mai. Chaiyayot was not accused of redistributing school meals to underprivileged students but of falsifying meal allowances, indicating a deliberate attempt to evade subsequent audits.

Chaiyayot continues to volunteer at Yang Pao School without a salary, reducing his teaching hours to three hours for art and one hour for singing. His side job of selling roti is not carried out daily but is done in his free time after teaching and other activities.

Niwat Chaisemmongkol, Secretary of the NACC, yesterday revealed details about the case. Yang Pao School falls under the Primary Education Area Office, Chiang Mai Area 5, and operates at kindergarten, primary, and junior high school levels. It has two types of students: day students and boarding students. The latter receive meal support from the Primary Education Area Office, Chiang Mai Area 5, while the former receive lunch support from the Aom Koi Subdistrict Administrative Organisation.

In 2018, Yang Pao School had 235 primary and kindergarten students and 244 junior high school students, including 169 boarding students. The school was responsible for the procurement of meals, following the regulations of the Ministry of Finance on public procurement and asset management. The meal expenses would be reimbursed once the receipt and signature of the inspection committee were complete.

Jarus Supan, the director of Yang Pao School, appointed Bunyanuch Jai Pinta as a food procurement officer and Chaiyayot as a member of the inspection committee. In 2018, for 15 weeks, Bunyanuch did not follow the proper procedure for procurement.

Instead, she borrowed money for the school lunch project at a rate of approximately 60,000 baht per week. She was responsible for procuring ingredients and hiring cooks, costing no more than 48,500 baht per week (without a contract and any evidence of cooking).

The remaining 10,000 baht per week, totalling 172,240 baht over 15 weeks, was used for additional purchases from two places. However, it was not possible to specify how much was purchased each week, and no receipt was requested from the store. Bunyanuch created false food payment certificates daily, using them as evidence of payment instead of receipts. Jiraphon and Chaiyayot, the inspection committee, signed these certificates.

Therefore, the actions of Bunyanuch, appointed as a food procurement officer, and Jarus, who approved the loan without authorising procurement according to government regulations, violated regulations, intentionally avoiding subsequent audits. This caused damage to Yang Pao School.

The media’s reporting that Chaiyayot was dismissed from civil service because he distributed primary students’ food to junior high school students is a misrepresentation of the truth, reported KhaoSod.