Thailand Education Minister Adisai Bodharamik has launched a probe into tutorial school operators who he believes might be making corrupt payments to education officials in return for access to examination papers.
Tutorial schools have proliferated in Thailand, charging high fees in return for promises of greater success in university entrance exams.
Mr Adisai said he strongly suspected officials engaged in setting and printing exam papers were in cahoots with tutorial schools.
He ordered the Higher Education Commission to work with university rectors and lecturers to revamp the entrance exam system, and seek evidence of corruption involving tutorial schools.
However, one lecturer, who did not want to be named, said the probe would achieve little and was a political stunt. 'If they really wanted to catch these people, they should have done the investigation first, not shouted about it to the press,' she said. 'Now, everyone will be on their guard, so how do they expect to catch the perpetrators?'
Mr Adisai has been accused of protecting an official at the centre of claims that papers for this year's university entrance exams were leaked.