Bangkok--18 Dec--AIT
President of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Prof. Said Irandoust has written an Open Letter to the AIT community and AIT stakeholders and urged all governing institutions, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of Thailand, Office of Higher Education Commission Thailand, and the AIT Council to solve the problems that the AIT students and community are facing.
In a letter written on 11 December 2012, Prof. Irandoust requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand to formally call a one-off session of the former AIT Board to address the two issues of reaffirmation of the validity of AIT degrees and the release of government flood rehabilitation funds and student scholarship funds.
The President regretted that AIT today is increasingly divided and inward looking. He suggested the need to rebuild and recapitalize the institution, in an era when many donors are seeking to disengage themselves from the Institute. He also regretted that the new AIT Charter has caused so much division, “particularly among those fearful of a change from what had been an unsustainable status quo.”
Stating that it is time to move forward, the President said that while his tenure comes to an end on 30 June 2012, it is imperative that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the AIT Council should come together and begin an expedited transition to a new President and leadership team, which is untainted by recent disharmony and discord. He suggested a formal start of a search for a new AIT President.
The President also urged MoFA and the AIT Council to make public and settle substantive allegations against all parties. He hoped that tomorrow’s AIT will not be simply an attempt to recreate a past, but one which will attract the support of students, governments and stakeholders from Asia and beyond.
He expressed his gratitude to Thailand, and continued support, including from members of the Royal Family. The AIT President concluded the letter by quoting from His Majesty the King of Thailand’s 85th auspicious birthday, where His Majesty had stated that “The most important thing is that there must be no conflicts.”
The entire text of the letter in English and Thai can be read at this link:
http://www.ait.ac.th/news-and-events/2012/news/an-open-letter-from-ait-president-prof-said-irandoust/view