School director probed for forcing bottled water sales

Students at Kalasinpittayasan School sits at the school canteen with a bottle of the in-house brand drinking water. (Photo by Yongyuth Phupuangphet)

A local office of the Education Ministry is probing a principal in Kalasin after an allegation that he forced students at his school to buy bottled water produced by his partners.

The 24th Education District Office in the northeastern province will set up a panel to look into the complaint after having received a 1,000-page probe report from the provincial education commission, chaired by then deputy governor Surapoj Ratchusiri.

The investigation, carried out by the commission, focused on Sanae Kamsommai, director of Kalasinpittayasan School in Muang district.

The principal faced the accusation after Pichet Dolmaen, acting chairman of the Parents Association of the school, lodged a complaint with the provincial governor on Aug 23, alleging that he and his partners produced the 600ml bottled water with the school brand to sell to 3,700 students at six baht each and shut down all drinking-water facilities to force them to buy the product.

A pack of the school bottled water is seen at Kalasinpittayasan School. (Photo by Yongyuth Phupuangphet)

The commission has found the complaint had ground and recently forwarded the finding to the education district office.

"I have received the report from the commission chairman. As the direct supervisor [of Mr Sanae], I will appoint another panel to look into the case and punishment [if he is found guilty]," Mr Udomchai said on Monday and confirmed that the complaint contained grounds for action.

The school director will be summoned to defend the case before the panel, as the investigators try to wrap up the probe and possibly the punishment in two weeks, he added.

Mr Sanae did not take the call when contacted by the Bangkok Post on Monday.

He told Thai Rath Online on Aug 23, when the case came to light, that the school still provided free drinking water at the buildings and the canteen of the school but it was not popular among the students.

The bottled water was made by a winner when the school called a bid for sale at the school, with revenue to be partly used to fund activities of the student council and food programmes at the school, he added.