Sunjit Kang, formerly head of ICT and Business at The Grangefield Academy in Stockton-on-Tees, has been given an indefinite prohibition from teaching. Like, he was convicted for telling professors to boost students’ grades. The decision came from the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) after he was investigated for his overly harsh grading.
Kang was Deputy Head of The Grangefield Academy from September 2022 to March 2024. During that time, he very likely committed academic misconduct by providing students’ work inflated scores. In October 2023, he made a “concerted effort to falsify grades and examination performance,” using what he termed “best case scenario marks.” These letter grades suggest that these students would be doing much better if they had just attended more class sessions. They most definitely don’t represent what students are actually learning.
Back in November 2023, a moderation team from the OCR exam board warned that pupils were handing in work that was not their true original effort. So the inquiry started right away. The TRA’s findings revealed that Kang’s actions were “entirely consistent with an attempt to provide evidence to support grades which had been inflated.” The panel found many cases where a candidate’s name or signature showed up in another student’s essay. These unfortunate discoveries dealt a real blow to the credibility of the assessments.
Kang maintained that all the differences were from “administrative and non-deliberate” mistakes. Because the panel had already determined that he had been dishonest and lacking in integrity. Perhaps most egregiously, he missed the panel’s determination meeting on December 17. His lack of presence became a harbinger of his lifelong ban from educative institutions.
In addressing the nature of Kang’s grading practices, the panel stated, “This scenario was fanciful and it was inappropriate to apply it to assessed work.” This decision raises troubling questions about academic integrity. It underscores the obligation on the part of educators to maintain high standards of fairness in assessment.
Sunjit Kang cannot apply to lift the ban for three more years. He is now one step closer to having that opportunity after the court’s ruling. Now at 40 years old, Kang feels it would be extremely difficult for her to make the transition back into the classroom.
