An IT teacher has been permanently banned from the profession after being caught altering student coursework during an exam. Sai Krishnan Santhosh Kumar, 36, was found to have covertly edited or created coursework for 23 students at Meadow Park School in Whitley, Coventry, in December 2024.
A colleague noticed Mr. Kumar's initials within a student's PowerPoint presentation, prompting an investigation. The teacher was suspended on January 13 and resigned on January 20 after a school inquiry concluded he had altered nearly an entire class's coursework. The tribunal determined that 23 student folders contained work amended by Mr. Kumar. Consequently, the students' efforts on one of three BTEC IT modules were disregarded, and their final grades were aggregated from the two unaffected components.
Mr. Kumar had 13 years of teaching experience and was accused of editing or adding material to presentations for 19 students in one IT module and nine in another. He admitted these allegations but denied his conduct was dishonest or lacked integrity, though the tribunal found him guilty on all counts. The assessment requirements included a declaration signed by both student and teacher to confirm the work was the student's own.
Witnesses presented evidence, including version histories of student files, showing Mr. Kumar accessing and making changes to documents. Despite Mr. Kumar's contention that he believed he was providing permissible support and that his actions were not for personal gain, the tribunal panel deemed his conduct dishonest and a serious misconduct falling significantly short of expected professional standards. The panel noted that his motivation was not relevant to the determination of dishonesty and likely aimed to improve student performance. He is now working as a customer expert at an AI technology company in Glasgow.
The ban prohibits Mr. Kumar from teaching in any school, sixth-form college, relevant youth accommodation, or children's home in England. He has the right to appeal the decision and can apply to have the ban lifted in July 2029.