Strict supervision was enforced at local exam venues for 37,000 candidates. Test takers expressed concerns about political interference, pointing out that this system has existed for a long time and is used to seek benefits that undermine local governance.
Today (26 Jul 2026), our news team covered the atmosphere of the local administrative staff exams held across five venues in five regions: Chiang Mai, Udon Thani-Khon Kaen, Pathum Thani, Chonburi, and Nakhon Si Thammarat provinces. A total of 37,359 candidates participated. Thammasat University, Rangsit Center, was responsible for organizing these exams for local administrative staff in the management track.
At 08:00, Mr. Nirath Pongsitthathaworn, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior and acting Director-General of the Department of Local Administration, visited to monitor the local management staff exam at Thammasat University, Rangsit Center.
Our team spoke with one of the candidates, Mr. Thanakrit Rattanapongkavi, Chief Executive of the Prai Nok Yung Subdistrict Administrative Organization, Hankha District, Chainat Province. He commented that exam fraud has long existed, resulting in the civil service not recruiting truly capable workers. Suitable candidates should have leadership qualities and understand strategic matters.
Regarding exam fraud, he personally believes it should not occur because Thai society views the issue in two ways. If interference occurs, the system becomes spoiled and leads to payoffs. People who have never helped themselves or tried to study end up entering civil service without using their own ability or intellect, which should be in accordance with proper regulations.
He shared that he previously worked in the Department of Local Administration before transferring to a local government organization. He has experience with this issue from the beginning, having worked in the department responsible for local exams previously administered by local organizations themselves, which faced ongoing problems.
When exams shifted to the central level, issues arose with compiling candidate lists and distributing them to local administrative organizations. Over time, problems changed but persisted. He believes that tendencies toward favoritism or vested interests affect whether efforts to improve exam processes will lead to better integrity in local administrative organizations.
