School children in Cambodia. Corruption within the country's education system is reportedly rampant (Photo: Geoffrey Cain/IRIN)PHNOM PENH, 5 December 2008 (IRIN) - When Sok Sopheap could not pay his daily bribe, his secondary school teacher refused to let him attend class.
The teacher demanded he stand for an hour by the door until the class finished.
"It was humiliating, but it happens a lot to students," said the 19-year-old son of a food vendor, graduating years late because of what he calls "high corruption fees".
"We have to pay unfairly for almost everything at school," he complained, including exams, tests and even class time.
"I don't think the problem is getting better," he said. "Young people in Cambodia have lived with this all our lives and no one has done much to stop it."
Chronic poverty
"New teachers often face a many-month delay before they receive their salaries," David Coleman, education chief of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) for Cambodia, told IRIN. "Teachers sometimes supplement their income with a second job. This can affect their own attendance at school, and can put pressure on the amount of time they have to prepare their lessons."
Teachers' salaries start from US$50 a month, even less than garment factory workers earn, Coleman added.
High oil and gas costs, which have only fallen slightly since their summer peak, despite a global price plummet, could be adding to teachers' salary woes, said Soprach, a primary school teacher in the capital, Phnom Penh.
"The price I pay for gas every month is almost the same as my salary," Soprach told IRIN. "How am I supposed to survive and feed my family without charging extra?"
Daily fees of 700 riel (20 cents) do little to drain students of money while keeping his own family afloat with $200 a month, he added.
Yet others think the tiny costs add up in significant ways, unfairly forcing poorer students out of school.
A 2007 report by the Cambodian NGO Education Partnership (NEP)
reveals education costs for each child averaged $108 annually, or 9 percent of each family's annual income.
The inability to pay informal fees was the most common reason parents gave for their children dropping out, the report stated.
"When you include informal and formal school costs, and private classes and snacks, many students are paying $2.50 every day," Leng Theavy, education and capacity-building officer for the NGO Education Partnership (NEP), told IRIN.
"That money is a lot because many Cambodians don't make more than $60 a month. In the survey we found the informal fees to be small, but we think the numbers could be much higher now," she added.
The study also noted that a quarter of parents were unaware that their children were entitled to a free education, a legal right.
Informal fees are prevalent in Phnom Penh, not in the countryside, the report said, though Theavy said corruption still happened in the provinces.
"Some teachers in the countryside take large fees too, and often the communes receive documented complaints from parents," she said.
Tackling corruption
As part of Cambodia's Education Strategic Plan for 2006 to 2010, the Ministry of Education is seeking ways to improve efficiencies to reduce informal fees.
The establishment of a Teacher Professional Code, ensuring on-time payments and raising teacher salaries are priorities.
However, Theavy said government had only limited options.
"The situation is out of the control of the Ministry [of Education] even though they circulated a ban on informal payments," she told IRIN. "Teachers commit this on their own."
Corruption overall is one of Cambodia's most pressing issues, with anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International scoring the country the 14th most corrupt in the world in its 2008 index, and the third most corrupt country in the Asia-Pacific region.
The teacher demanded he stand for an hour by the door until the class finished.
"It was humiliating, but it happens a lot to students," said the 19-year-old son of a food vendor, graduating years late because of what he calls "high corruption fees".
"We have to pay unfairly for almost everything at school," he complained, including exams, tests and even class time.
"I don't think the problem is getting better," he said. "Young people in Cambodia have lived with this all our lives and no one has done much to stop it."
Chronic poverty
"New teachers often face a many-month delay before they receive their salaries," David Coleman, education chief of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) for Cambodia, told IRIN. "Teachers sometimes supplement their income with a second job. This can affect their own attendance at school, and can put pressure on the amount of time they have to prepare their lessons."
Teachers' salaries start from US$50 a month, even less than garment factory workers earn, Coleman added.
High oil and gas costs, which have only fallen slightly since their summer peak, despite a global price plummet, could be adding to teachers' salary woes, said Soprach, a primary school teacher in the capital, Phnom Penh.
"The price I pay for gas every month is almost the same as my salary," Soprach told IRIN. "How am I supposed to survive and feed my family without charging extra?"
Daily fees of 700 riel (20 cents) do little to drain students of money while keeping his own family afloat with $200 a month, he added.
Yet others think the tiny costs add up in significant ways, unfairly forcing poorer students out of school.
A 2007 report by the Cambodian NGO Education Partnership (NEP)
reveals education costs for each child averaged $108 annually, or 9 percent of each family's annual income.
The inability to pay informal fees was the most common reason parents gave for their children dropping out, the report stated.
"When you include informal and formal school costs, and private classes and snacks, many students are paying $2.50 every day," Leng Theavy, education and capacity-building officer for the NGO Education Partnership (NEP), told IRIN.
"That money is a lot because many Cambodians don't make more than $60 a month. In the survey we found the informal fees to be small, but we think the numbers could be much higher now," she added.
The study also noted that a quarter of parents were unaware that their children were entitled to a free education, a legal right.
Informal fees are prevalent in Phnom Penh, not in the countryside, the report said, though Theavy said corruption still happened in the provinces.
"Some teachers in the countryside take large fees too, and often the communes receive documented complaints from parents," she said.
Tackling corruption
As part of Cambodia's Education Strategic Plan for 2006 to 2010, the Ministry of Education is seeking ways to improve efficiencies to reduce informal fees.
The establishment of a Teacher Professional Code, ensuring on-time payments and raising teacher salaries are priorities.
However, Theavy said government had only limited options.
"The situation is out of the control of the Ministry [of Education] even though they circulated a ban on informal payments," she told IRIN. "Teachers commit this on their own."
Corruption overall is one of Cambodia's most pressing issues, with anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International scoring the country the 14th most corrupt in the world in its 2008 index, and the third most corrupt country in the Asia-Pacific region.
17 comments:
Ah Scam Rainxy and his supporters (teachers) has no moral. They want to destroy Khmer's future.
I don't think Sam Rainsy is to blame for this. There would be less corruption if teachers are properly paid.
If you're a teacher who makes only $30 a month, you would take money from your students too, because you need to feed your own family.
Corruption is tied to poverty. I think the Western countries are very good at pointing out corruption, but they don't put their money where their mouths are.
Japan and China are Cambodia's largest donors. Their generosity is what allow Khmer kids to go to school in the first place.
Nope teachers make a lot more than 30$ a month, but if they support Ah Scam Rainxy, they are allowed to be corrupted in anyway they like. Ah Scam ranxy will back them up 100% for his own political gain because the more illiterate people we have, the better he looks.
As long as Han Sen and his cronies treat Teachers like Laborers, the corruption in Cambodian education system will always be existed. All other countries in the world, they treat their educators as the professional and when time to sort out their national budgets, their priority is to have a sufficient fund to pay these professionals. This is simple, because every body knows that education if the driving force of the economy for the countries in the future. On the other hand, the priority for the Cambodian national budget is LAND CRUISER and BIGGER VILLA and send my children to get education abroad. This is what happen right now in this country. Finally, I must say corruption exists in many other countries in the world, but the different is that other countries still have a sense of humanity versus in in Cambodia, corruption is still deep into the bond. Until then, the poor Cambodian people will continue to suffer due to this unfortunate situation.
God bless them
Bullshit, solong Ah Scam Rainxy help his supporters (teachers) to be corrupted, Cambodia will never get out of poverty, and no one will see better days ahead.
7:16pm, 8:46pm, and 9:20pm, please give me a break......your brain is full youn mind. Please stop thinking negetive
That what mr. Yasgay said: "Systermatic corruption!"
Ah Kwack Hun Xen make every body corrupted so he can steal every thing and say we all do the sane thing!
May lightning strike the evil!!!!
This issue has been well recognized in Cambodian society. Although I’m not against the current govt or being supportive to any political party in Cambodia and, in fact, I appreciate the many accomplishments the govt have made for the country, however, for this issue, I think this is ridiculous and shameful. I hope the govt should not neglect and ignore this important area of development. While all most all donors urge govt to focus on improving good governance at every sectors, this is time to improve education system, with the emphasis on the public education system, tying up the incentive provision (salary grad and other benefits) and teacher’s performance, quality of training curriculum, school environment and training equipments…etc. We need to produce quality human resource in order to help develop our country and get out of the poverty,…but, I understand that might take times to improve—so, the govt should start now…time is running out!!!
Nope, if the government accomplished too much, it means Ah Scam Rainxy will be out of business, and he's not going to let that happened. He'll will alway sabotage something to keep Khmer people suffering for his own political gain.
Fucking retarded 11:07PM and others ...
who always bullshitting Sam Rainsy.
I DON'T LIKE SAM RAINSY.
And Sam Rainsy has nothing to do in this topic.
CPP use to build schools to show to the donors
that peasants go to school. Beside CPP give no incentive to make peoples wanting to teach.
Schools without teachers or teachers are
stomach's empty, it's doesn't worth a dime.
On others side, if this government doesn't create jobs,
Why khmers bothers to spent 18 years to study,
if they know at the end that they will still be
a laborers or a cyclo-drivers.
Why not start a cyclo-driver's career right now???
GO AHEAD AND MAKE A RESEARCH ON THAT TOPIC...
IN RURAL, MOST OF THE PEASANTS SHARE THIS SAME OPINION.
The most important thing is that CPP government
is not able to create JOBS to turn the economy.
Jobs created were karaoke, casino, etc.
And in the construcion sector, Yuons steal
a lots of khmer jobs.
This government have one ability : CORRUPTION...
Khmer Canadian
Wrong, moron (11:26), Ah Scam Rainxy will not allow Khmer people to succeed without him getting a piece of pie from it.
Cambodia ruled by uneducated and the criminal people,
called: Cambodian People Party (CPP).
This government CPP stealing country asset cut the forest sell
to oversea, billions dollars gone into their pockets, stole tax money
and land grabbing from the poor.
They murder who against the government CPP.
The only way to eliminate the frauds and corruptions
in Cambodia is: remove Hun Sen (the ex-Khmer rouge)
and his gangster CPP out from the power.
Sounds like you are on the wrong planet, cracked head (1:41).
Here, the CPP has succeeded in leading Cambodia in the right direction. They have done more for Khmer people than Ah Pleu-Oversea can do for anyone in their lifetime.
To 2:45am,
Your point about Khmers oversea is absolutley wrong. We sent MILLION $$$$ to support our pauverty relatives in Cambodia. Those MILLION of $$$$$ help generate the economic power house in Cambodia. Pls take some economic classes before you open your mouth! We Khmers oversea work so hard for our lives oversea and support our beloved Cambodia. We visit our mother land every day, and year. We never forget Cambodia for one minute. Don't you go around and blame everything on Khmers oversea!!! Are you jealous!!!! We crossed thousand of deaths to get here. You could have done the same. There are some bad apple among us, but most of us are very generous people unlike your corrupted gov't in Cambodia.
Best regards,
Khmer in New York
To 12:50 and 2:45 Please put all your comment between your mother legs. I dont want to see it.
8:33 AM Khmer In New York
This is absolutely true !
We never stop sending monies to our
families living in Cambodia since the 80s.
If CPPs really know how to create jobs
for our countryside's khmer, we won't need
to sent money.
Khmer Canadian
LOL, Ah Pleu-Oversea can't even break free from food stamp and government housing. How can they possibly send million to Cambodia. You got to be on drug, 12:08.
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