Landmark convictions reveal million-baht backdoor to Thailand’s top schools

For most students, securing a place at Thailand’s elite Triam Udom Suksa School means years of grueling study to pass the daunting entrance exam. A decade ago, however, a select few found a short cut.

Exploiting the desperation of parents and the dreams of students, a “gang of three” led by the school’s former director turned the admissions office into a marketplace, demanding large payments in exchange for a golden ticket into the prestigious institution.

On Monday, the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases delivered a stern warning to the education sector, slapping Triam Udom Suksa’s former director, Poramet Molee, and his associates with long sentences for soliciting bribes during 2016-18 enrolments.

Poramet was sentenced to 27 years in prison, while Kornrat Kosakan and orthopaedic surgeon Dr Paisal Chantarapitak were each handed 18 years behind bars as accomplices. Kornrat served as the secretary-treasurer and Paisal as president of the so-called Triamudom Family Association – which is used as a front for the bribetaking.

Sources say parents were asked to pay up to 3 million baht in “tea money” to secure places for their children at the school, viewed as a gateway to elite universities and future success.

Triam Udom Suksa is renowned as training ground for Thailand’s future leaders, boasting Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt and Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) President Somkiat Tangkitvanich among its famous alumni. However, its prestige was tarnished in early 2020 when police uncovered two suspicious bank accounts linked to the school.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) took on the case and found that Poramet was offering seats earmarked for waitlisted candidates to the parents of children who made large “donations” to the association.

This “pay-to-play” system violated the school’s enrolment rules, which mandated that 80% of seats go to entrance exam winners and the rest to provincial quotas and students with specific talents.

Systemic problem

Investigations revealed that Poramet was no stranger to tea-money allegations. He faced similar accusations in a previous job as head of Suankularbwitthayalai Nonthaburi School, but the case was eventually dropped.

Neither is he the first school director to be jailed for soliciting bribes. In 2024, the court found a former director and deputy director of Samsenwittayalai School guilty of demanding bribes for admission to their prestigious institution. That same year, the deputy director of a top school in Khon Kaen was arrested for taking bribes in exchange for enrolment.

These cases shed new light on an old – and grim – reality in Thailand: the futures of deserving underprivileged students can be traded for money, reinforcing a cycle of educational inequality that favours wealth over talent.

National agenda

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has designated “tea money” paid for school places as a form of bribery, vowing to monitor admissions in a bid to deter the practice.

This year, Triam Udom Suksa has received nearly 14,000 applications for just 1,520 places. The school announced beforehand that it has no policy to demand money or other resources from parents in return for enrolment. The announcement emphasised that the school does not collect funds via any agency, including the Triamudom Family Association, or engage in fundraising during the admission period. The school is also encouraging the public to act as whistleblowers. Anyone with evidence of admission irregularities is urged to contact Triam Udom Suksa at 080-018-6341 or alert the NACC via the 1205 hotline or the Ministry of Education at 1579.