EDUCATION Minister Dapong Ratanasuwan will invoke the Private Higher Educational Institution Act to set up a special panel to take control of Assumption University’s administration temporarily.

Dapong yesterday said he didn’t want to use Article 86(4) of the act but both sides involved in the prolonged management dispute had failed to find a solution.

The minister assigned Education Ministry permanent secretary Kamjorn Tatiyakavee to approach experts to join this panel.

Kamjorn is expected to submit the name list for the panel on Tuesday in a bid to minimise the impact on the teachers and students at Assumption University (Abac).

After a meeting yesterday with Kamjorn and the Office of the Higher Education Commission’s legal experts, Dapong said he would sign the order to appoint the panel next week.

Besides controlling the university, the panel will probe the possible causes of the management |conflict, including alleged corruption involving a flight-stimulation lab.

Dapong said he had not set a time frame for how long the panel would control Abac.

“I originally cited a three-month period but if the probe isn’t complete, then an extension will be needed,” he said.

He admitted to feeling uneasy about applying this method, but he said he had no other choice for fear of negative impacts on the institution and the students.

Dapong responded to Sudhiporn Patumtaewapibal’s comment that his position as |acting Abac rector would still be active after the panel was set up because of an Administrative Court order.

The minister said establishing the panel would not violate the court order. But when Article 86(4) was invoked to appoint the panel as the new university council, the council would be authorised to appoint anyone it deemed fit for the rector post and Sudhiporn’s term would end accordingly.

Kamjorn said that although the ministry was heading towards invoking Article 86(4), the path wasn’t fully blocked and both sides still had a chance to reconcile and propose a better solution for the minister’s consideration – provided the solution had unanimous support.

Sudhiporn said he and supporters would lodged a petition over the use Article 86(4) as they believed it should not be used in this instance because classes at the university still operated as per normal.

Abac council member Weerasak Anusonthiwong, one of the supporters of embattled rector Brother Bancha Saenghiran, said he accepted Dapong’s decision as it was based on the law.

Weerasak said he personally thought that the panel’s presence wouldn’t tarnish the institute but would allow Abac to be examined by an outside neutral party.

The law requires the appointment of a panel with five to 15 members and for the university-controlling order to be published in daily newspapers for at least three consecutive days.

It also requires university executives, permanent teaching staff and other personnel to submit asset declarations and related documents to the panel.

The institute has 30 days to appeal the order from the date of notification.