Chea Sim Chhouk Va High School teachers and students protested again using banners to compel the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) and relevant authorities to dismiss their principal and deputy principal. The two are alleged to have used money for school development and other funds for their own purpose.
The 12 p.m protest took place on Tuesday at the school campus along Street 1962 in Sangkat Kork Roka, Khan Prek Pnov in Phnom Penh, following the first protest in March. The teachers asked the government to remove principal Bun Mony and his deputy Yer Leang as their “action and leadership” had allegedly affected the school’s development.
According to a letter to the ministry by the teachers in the school explaining their call for the duo’s dismissal, there was no transparency in the use of the school budget allocated for various projects and no public bidding for parking lots. In addition, the annual budget of about 45 million riel per year (about $11,000) approved during Covid-19 for three years was allegedly “lost”.
The duo had also allegedly uttered abusive words, which failed to conform to the professional conduct of employees.
The letter also alleged that the directors “pressured the teachers to pay 60,000 riel for personal benefit” during primary, secondary and high school diploma exams, and campaigned to persuade parents to pay 2,000 riel per month for water and electricity.
Teacher Chan Huot said about 67 teachers were apparently dissatisfied with the “misconduct and leadership” of the principal, which has adversely affected the education of students.
“We’re not happy with their actions because they think that what they’re doing is always right. So, what we’re doing right now is to remove them both,” she told CamboJA News.
According to her, the duo allegedly “used up large sums of school funds without sharing any information with the staff”.
“They hid the money from philanthropists. We don’t know where it is, nor [do we know] where the state money for the school is. When we ask, she changes the subject, and speaks very rudely, which is unacceptable.”
She also shared that the problem has existed for many years. While they await legal action, the teachers have boycotted classes and meetings.
During the first protest, the Department of Education came to investigate and discovered that the teachers’ complaints were true, but the department asked them to wait until May, noting that the problem had reached the ministry.
Chan Huot hoped that the relevant authorities would expedite the investigation of their complaint.
Meanwhile, a grade seven student’s father, who asked not to be named, mentioned that he was worried about his child’s education having seen the protests, and hoped that the ministry would resolve the issue as soon as possible.
Speaking to CamboJA News, the parent said he used to pay 30,000 riel per year for water and electricity, and $20 for school programs whenever the school requested, but access to clean water and working fans was limited, affecting his child’s education.
“I hope that they will investigate this issue soon. If it continues, the victims will be the students,” he reiterated.
Principal Bun Mony did not answer CamboJA News’ telephone calls despite numerous attempts.
Yer Leang, the deputy principal, said the case against them is “being resolved according to the procedure” and declined to answer further questions, saying that he was “in a meeting”.
Khuon Vicheka, spokesperson for MoEYS, told CamboJA News that the Phnom Penh Department of Education, Youth and Sports had organized a team to investigate and solve the problem, and that the teachers had agreed to come to work as usual.
Around 90 percent of the teachers continued to “work like normal”, Vicheka said, adding “only several teachers participated in the protest”.
She shared that as of today, the technical meetings and activities are running normally without affecting the students’ learning.
“This issue will be addressed by the Department of Education. I would like to confirm that more than 90 percent of the teachers are working as usual,” she said.
Last year, anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI) Cambodia reported that transparency in Cambodia’s national budgetary process between 2018 and 2023 was low and lacked sufficient regulation. It ranked Cambodia 150 out of 180 countries in its 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index.
Ouk Chhayavy, president of Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association, told CamboJA News that MoEYS and relevant authorities should take action immediately because it will affect the education system and students.
Chhayavy said all the procedures should be met during the investigation and those who are found to have made mistakes should be punished according to the law.
“Normally, teachers don’t protest unless they face difficulties. If MoEYS can’t solve this, it would seem like their previous circular meant nothing. To ensure fairness, MoEYS should investigate to stop corruption in the education system,” she added.
