A postman can determine your future, like the one at Ban Fang post office in Khon Kaen whose failure to deliver an express letter cost the recipient his chance to be a teacher. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)
KHON KAEN: A serious lapse by Thailand Post ended a man’s hope of following his dream to be a teacher, simply because a crucial letter was not delivered. Sadit Kruangjumpa said Ban Fang post office made an unacceptable mistake in failing to deliver an express letter sent to his home address. As a consequence, he missed out on his opportunity to become a teacher.
Mr. Sadit resides in Bangkok but his official home address is in Ban Fang district in Khon Kaen province. He was among those who had passed the Education Ministry’s test for applicants for vacant positions as teaching assistants. He was selected for a role under the quota allocated to the Secondary Education Service Area Office, which oversees Phangnga, Phuket, and Ranong provinces.
The education office, headquartered in Muang district in Phangnga, sent an EMS letter to his home address in Khon Kaen on July 3, requesting him to report for the position in person on July 9. But Mr. Sadit revealed on Tuesday that he never received this important letter and subsequently failed to report for the job as instructed.
Ban Fang post office claimed they had tried to deliver the letter on July 6, but the postman had to take it back to the office because nobody was at home at the time of the delivery. The post office also stated that Mr. Sadit came to collect the letter himself five days later.
However, Mr. Sadit has security camera footage showing that no postie came to his house to deliver the letter on July 6, as the post office claimed. The camera is installed at his house.
Ban Fang post office ultimately admitted that the postman did not deliver the EMS letter because he was newly employed, on contract, and still getting accustomed to the job. They apologized for the failure to deliver the vital letter.
The post office also sent a letter dated July 11 to the Secondary Education Service Area Office in Phangnga, indicating that Mr. Sadit had not received the letter before the July 9 deadline. A day later, it sent another letter to the education office admitting that an employee’s blunder caused the recipient to miss the crucial reporting date. It requested the education office to give Mr. Sadit another chance.
But that might be too late.
The Secondary Education Service Area Office on July 9 posted a Facebook message and photos showing 11 newly recruited teaching assistants. Three of them had already attended the orientation program prior to being posted to various schools.
Mr. Sadit expressed doubt that the education office would offer him another opportunity.
“I still don’t know the real reason why the post office did not deliver that letter to me,” he said. “I missed the chance to be a civil servant, even though I had put everything I had into passing that exam.”
