By Yun Samean
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
More than 50 teachers at the National University of Management went on strike Monday to demand the removal of the government-run university's rector and vice rector.
The 53 teachers, many of whom staged a similar strike in December, put up banners in front of the university calling for the removal of NUM's Rector Iv Thong and Vice Rector Pech Pirum and used megaphones to urge Prime Minister Hun Sen to sack the pair.
"We are holding the strike without a time limit until we succeed because we want to have quality education and to follow the leadership of Samdech Hun Sen," the strikers said in a written statement. The strikers also accused the pair of hiring their relatives to work at NUM.
Striker Chum Noun Nimol claimed teachers had investigated NUM's budget for this year and discovered that for the first semester, Iv Thong and Pech Pirum had exaggerated the amount of funds required by about $110,000.
She also claimed that in retaliation for December's strike, strikers were forced to teach classes outside their fields of expertise.
Iv Thong denied that he and Pech Pirum exaggerated the university's budget or were involved in graft. He attributed the teachers' anger to the fact that the university cut their teaching hours last year.
"The professors went on strike because their incomes have been reduced," Iv Thong said. "It's not a big issue because we have substitute teachers," he said.
Until last year, the teachers could make around $2,000 per month from teaching at NUM but now they currently earn $1,300, he added. Teachers have been given other subjects to teach to broaden their academic capabilities, he added.
If the teachers have real evidence of corruption, Iv Thong said, he would resign.
Pech Pirum could not ge reached for comment.
Sean Borath, an adviser to Hun Sen on education, said that Cabinet Minister Sok An would soon meet with all the concerned parties to find a resolution to the strike.
The 53 teachers, many of whom staged a similar strike in December, put up banners in front of the university calling for the removal of NUM's Rector Iv Thong and Vice Rector Pech Pirum and used megaphones to urge Prime Minister Hun Sen to sack the pair.
"We are holding the strike without a time limit until we succeed because we want to have quality education and to follow the leadership of Samdech Hun Sen," the strikers said in a written statement. The strikers also accused the pair of hiring their relatives to work at NUM.
Striker Chum Noun Nimol claimed teachers had investigated NUM's budget for this year and discovered that for the first semester, Iv Thong and Pech Pirum had exaggerated the amount of funds required by about $110,000.
She also claimed that in retaliation for December's strike, strikers were forced to teach classes outside their fields of expertise.
Iv Thong denied that he and Pech Pirum exaggerated the university's budget or were involved in graft. He attributed the teachers' anger to the fact that the university cut their teaching hours last year.
"The professors went on strike because their incomes have been reduced," Iv Thong said. "It's not a big issue because we have substitute teachers," he said.
Until last year, the teachers could make around $2,000 per month from teaching at NUM but now they currently earn $1,300, he added. Teachers have been given other subjects to teach to broaden their academic capabilities, he added.
If the teachers have real evidence of corruption, Iv Thong said, he would resign.
Pech Pirum could not ge reached for comment.
Sean Borath, an adviser to Hun Sen on education, said that Cabinet Minister Sok An would soon meet with all the concerned parties to find a resolution to the strike.
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