Government urged to ratify AIT Charter: The Nation

 

CHULARAT SAENGPASSA,

WANNAPA KHAOPA

THE NATION November 2, 2012 1:00 am

 

To end the problem concerning the legal status of Asian Institute
of Technology (AIT), its council and president want the government to
ratify the school's new charter.

 

Meanwhile, a Foreign Ministry source suggested AIT should solve
its internal problems with its students first before working with the
ministry.

 

"AIT is not the reason for the existing legal problem," Prof Said
Irandoust, who has been AIT's president for about seven years, said in
an interview with Krungthep Turakij TV.

 

He said council members told a recent open forum that they were
very keen to ensure that the government ratified AIT's new charter as
soon as possible. "Our charter was initiated by our host country,
Thailand. Everything started because of a vision from our host country.
AIT did everything according to the instructions and guidance of the
country," the president said.

 

He urged the government to get on board and ratify the charter,
which has already been ratified by nine nations.

 

The president said everybody, including representatives from
Thailand, knew at least six months ahead that the new charter would
come into force.

 

"The problem relating to AIT's status is not caused by AIT, and
AIT and its students should not be affected," he said.

 

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry source said it did not want to get
involved in problems between AIT's alumni, students and lecturers. AIT
administrators need to be open-minded to find solutions, the source
said. The former council of AIT could help with this as Thailand
ratified the former charter the council worked under. Since internal
problems were unresolved, it was difficult for the ministry to engage
with them, the source said, adding that the validity of AIT's degrees
was not a problem as its reputation and quality of education were
recognised.

 

The issues will be taken up at a meeting on Monday chaired by the
Foreign Ministry's permanent secretary.

 

Meanwhile, last month a number of students rallied against the AIT
president over concerns that their degrees will not be certified and
suspicions over the level of transparency in AIT's administration. They
lodged a complaint with the president, and the Education and Foreign
ministries.

 

At the forum, the president responded to the issue of
transparency, saying that the AIT Council and the AIT administration
had not received the letter of complaint written by the AIT Alumni
Association to the Foreign Ministry, despite repeated requests by the
council.