Teachers at capital school strike over transfers

Teachers at capital school strike over transfers
Wed, 27 January 2016 ppp
Sen David

Teachers protest over the removal of two deputy principals at Phnom Penh's Chumpou Vorn Primary School yesterday. Pha Lina

More than a thousand students from Chumpou Vorn Primary School were without classes this morning as dozens of teachers went on strike to protest the removal of two deputy principals on Monday.

Roughly 64 teachers from the primary school in Phnom Penh’s Por Sen Chey district claim that the deputy principals were transferred suddenly without warning.

“The two vice principals are very active; they worked here for 30 years. They help other teachers,” said protesting teacher Tep Chan Thon.

Fellow protestor Sin Phally said teachers did not have as much faith in the current principal as the two that had departed, while exiting principal Khat Seanglym said “we did not know our fault”.

Following three hours of no class, the teachers returned to work after District Governor Hem Darith spoke to the protesters yesterday and vowed to find a solution.

Em Hea, a deputy at the Education Department, said yesterday that he could not reveal in detail why the teachers had been removed but that they were still checking some “irregularities” in the budget.