Recuiting students
Headmasters are recruiting students to join the governing political party - the Cambodian Peoples Party. It is not seen as an educational issue because all canvassing takes place outside of school hours. The Cambodia Daily reports that one high-school headmaster said he convinced 300 of his students to register with the CPP in exchange for books, pens and other educational resources.
Leaving aside the ethics of promoting partisan politics in the classroom, it is important to remember that schools outside Phnom Penh are extremely ill equipped. Politicians are buying loyalty by providing the basic materials that should be in the school anyway. To attend these school, students bribe their teachers, who themselves receive less than garment factory workers, to teach.
A garment factory worker earns $40-50 a month
A rural teacher earns $20 a month
The illegal school fees vary between communes but regardless the expense of bribing the teacher, buying uniforms, books, transport costs etc., limits the number of children able to attend school. Add to this, headmasters providing school necessities just to join a political party and the insinuation that academic results may be affected and students are signing up in droves. Considering many students sells flowers and newspapers to tourists to pay for their school fees, any reduction in costs would be welcome.
Also partisan politics in the classroom is unethical.
Leaving aside the ethics of promoting partisan politics in the classroom, it is important to remember that schools outside Phnom Penh are extremely ill equipped. Politicians are buying loyalty by providing the basic materials that should be in the school anyway. To attend these school, students bribe their teachers, who themselves receive less than garment factory workers, to teach.
A garment factory worker earns $40-50 a month
A rural teacher earns $20 a month
The illegal school fees vary between communes but regardless the expense of bribing the teacher, buying uniforms, books, transport costs etc., limits the number of children able to attend school. Add to this, headmasters providing school necessities just to join a political party and the insinuation that academic results may be affected and students are signing up in droves. Considering many students sells flowers and newspapers to tourists to pay for their school fees, any reduction in costs would be welcome.
Also partisan politics in the classroom is unethical.
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