The National Assembly continued debate Wednesday on the draft law on education, but the legislation itself barely got a mention as the SRP took the opportunity to allege discrimination against SRP-affiliated teachers.
SRP lawmaker Cheam Channy told the floor that some school principals discriminate against teachers known to support the SRP by transferring them to schools in remote areas until they quit the profession.
SRP lawmaker Ho Vann called on the Ministry of Education to stop this alleged discrimination.
“The schools’ principals should not discriminate against teachers with other political affiliations or tendencies,” he said.
Im Sethy, secretary of state at the Education Ministry, who was on hand to defend the draft law, said that there was no political discrimination in schools. He added that SRP-affiliated teachers who had disciplinary action taken against them in the past had deserved it.
“They talked about politics [in school], and they did not work,” Im Sethy said. “When we took measures they were angry with us.”
CPP Acting Assembly President Nguon Nhel also denied that such discrimination had occurred, adding that his party did not encourage such behavior.
“Samdech [Prime Minister] Hun Sen has built thousands of schools and he never puts signs saying that only the CPP’s children can go to those schools,” he said.
Little was said about the merits of the education draft law, though lawmakers approved five of the draft’s 11 chapters.
Nguon Nhel announced during the session that debate on the draft law will continue Friday as the National Assembly will open the floor today for Minister of Agriculture Chan Sarun to answer questions from lawmakers regarding forestry concessions.
