[Vnbiz] Corruption in education in Cambodia

[Romi]

>From the discussion list about the forthcoming Asia - Pacific Human
Development Report on Corruption and Human Development:
**
*Facilitator's note:*

Pact Cambodia provides a comprehensive explanation of how corruption affects
education in Cambodia. The biggest problem is in urban schools, which
attests to the importance of increasing teacher salaries. Pact calls for the
active involvement of communities in school management as part of an
envisaged decentralization change in which CSOs, together with independent
teacher unions could play a crucial role in monitoring and evaluation.

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Corruption in education in Cambodia is prevalent mainly in urban schools. In
rural areas, corruption occurs chiefly in secondary schools. The prevalence
is attributed to several factors: (a) Low salaries for school teachers when
compared to those working in the private sector.  Average salaries for
Cambodian teachers has declined in absolute terms and value from $ 100 in
1970 to $ 40 in 2007. (b) The public spending in education is only 2.5 % of
the GNP, far below the 5 % adopted by other countries. (c) low and slow
spending on the approved budget.

Corruption appears in several forms: (a) selling of public land, schools and
sport facilities, (2) kick backs for procurements and construction,
especially at the central level, (c) adjustment of examination results at
secondary level and diploma mill at tertiary level for some private
universities, (d) deployment of teachers, (d) collection of daily or monthly
fees from children, (e) printing and distribution of books and learning
materials, and (f) late payment for teachers. This corruption has an impact
on low completion rates in primary level (42 %) and low enrolment rate in
secondary level (34 % net enrolment). It creates a culture of graft and
corruption for the whole society.

It is useful, but not adequate, to teach moral and value education to
children teachers and principals. It requires changes in salary structure
and active involvement of communities in school management. At the same
time, it requires good role model at the ministerial level from the Prime
Minister to school principals.

The decentralized authorities and CSOs can play a very important role in
removing barriers. All budget should be decentralized to schools and
communities.  Bottom-up control is always better than top-down control.
School boards should be established by communities and be free from
political parties.

Other measures: (a) adjust the salary scale to the pre-war level by
increasing education spending from 2.5 % to 5 % of the GNP, (b) for
secondary level, formal tuition fees should be legalized to ensure its
transparency, (c) training of 8000 school principals on school and resource
management, (d) empowerment of communities in running the schools, (e)
support independent teacher unions or associations and CSOs to monitor the
education sector, (f) passage and enforcement of the anti-corruption
law. Donors must play a more active role in this regard by channeling funds
to the communities and schools, rather than concentrating it with the
central ministries. The donors must not support corruption, directly or
indirectly. Donors should be held accountable too if their funds are misused
by their client authorities.

Pact Cambodia
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