On 23 rd March 2008, at 8:00am, the Cambodian Independent Teachers' Association (CITA) organized a workshop on "Launching Project Implementation of CITA ", provided by European Commission, at the Sunway Hotel, presided over by Mr. Rong Chhun, President of CITA
The Composition of the participants:
1- Supote S. Prasertsri, Ph.D, Former Education Programme Specialist of UNESCO
2- Mrs. Chea Vannath, Former President of Center for Social Development
3- Ngourn Moeun, EU' s Representative
4- 58 teachers from 24 provinces-cities
With all participations,
Mr. Kourn Ngourn, General Secretary of CITA, welcomed and noted the past actions of CITA and future target implementation in order to successfully achieve high effectiveness by saying that the participation of the teachers today is really important and is a moving force to make CITA to be strong and has power.
After that, Mr. Rong Chhun, President of CITA, made an address to open the workshop and welcomed all members invited from 24 provinces-cities, and international-national media and expressed his sincerely thanks to the European Commission provided CITA with the important project in order to help enhancing the education quality, living condition of teachers and integrate the voice of teachers across the country to become one voice in the future, which are the vision of CITA toward the negotiation with the royal government of Cambodia . Dealing with the project implementation, Mr. President said that this project will be implemented in the 24 provinces-cities, the total workshop is 28, there will be more than 1,537 teachers will gain the training course and interests. Moreover, teachers joined in the training course finally are aware of the human rights and democracy to practice in their basic level, on the other hand, on behalf of Khmer citizen, we should know how to use our rights, should not permit our leader to break the law and our rights, and to stop abusing by the leaders or management level we all should know clearly and correctly use our rights.
After that Supote S. Prasertsri, Ph.D, Former Education Programme Specialist of UNESCO, made an address on education by saying that the rate of enrollment at the primary school is 92% and rate of school drop out is 40%, the Junior High School is 34% and High School is 12% Taking that opportunity, Mr. Dr. raised the question to the participants dealing with the four-corner policies of the royal government of the Cambodia , by asking that does the government fully complete those policies yet?, Please help consider ! Meanwhile, Mr. Dr. said that to reduce the poverty of the Khmer people, the leaders should be highly responsible. Dealing with the level of salary, before the first country among the Asian Country has high salary for teacher is Malaysia , 500USD/month, Philippine, 300USD/month, Cambodia is 100USD/mongh and Thai is 60USD/month and recently the country which has the least salary is Cambodia and Burma .
Dealing with the training course of teachers provided by the Ministry of Education, Mr. Ourn Silot, Vice President of K. Thom, said that the training course or invitation of teachers to the seminar on the new knowledge of instruction, organized by non-government, his ownself and other teachers who often make protest or fight for the justice in the school, he or others never been invited but the level of head master or teacher does not protest always been invited.
Mr. Soa Thon, President in Kompong. Speu province, asked that what is the level of teachers' certificate of 7+1, 7+2, 7+3? Dealing with the exam paper, he said that the Ministry of Education has never allowed the teacher who experts in their subject to decorate the exam paper but inexpert subject teacher. Till now, the PB money the MoE lately gives to the school and there were only two steps only in the 2007.
Mrs. Chea Vannath, former President of the Center for Social Development, said that Mr. Special Representative of the United Nation to Cambodia strongly criticized the human rights abuse, land confiscated by Cambodian government high ranking officers and reach businessmen in Cambodia according to his report and these were not paid attention by the head government of Cambodia . Meanwhile, she also raised about the struggling of world women demanding for women's rights, International labor organization (ILO) was created in 1919 to follow and watch the freedom, rights, and working conditions, Human Rights Committee was established in 1946, Human Rights court was established in Europe in 1959, and Khmer Rouge Regime presented in Cambodia in 1975. To have human rights respected, all leaders should not betray its conscientiousness and ideas, especially, if we can correctly select the leaders, will gain happiness in return, she said.
After ending her speech, Mr. Rong Chhun expressed his deeply thanks to both orators spent a valuable time by giving good recommendations to cita' s leaders as well as member, specially how to well-effectively achieve the project implementation.
After that Mr. Rouen Sovannarith, Project Manager of CITA, showed the members and leaders the targets and visions in the project which focused on the teachers' rights, lasts for 15 months, started from February 2008 to April 2008, implement in 24 provinces-cities, 28 workshop organized for 15 months, and1,537 teachers gain an advantages, and become the human rights defenders finally. Moreover, the information bulletin, on teachers' working condition and education situation, will be monthly printed for 12 months.
After ending the explanation by Mr. Sovannarith, Mr. Leng Bunhong in charged of CITA's administration, divided the trainees into 6 groups to answer 12 questions provided by CITA. Each group contains 8 people and 3 questions. After each group well debated those questions, the representative from each group came to make the presentation.
After ending the presentation, Mr. Rong Chhun raised a big issues dealing with the inflation of the goods at the market especially the price of gasoline to go through the teachers and requested them to strictly debate because recently these issues have been facing by the citizens, teachers, workers, civil servants, police and troop on living conditions. On the other hand, he said if all teachers decides and wants CITA to demand the government of Cambodia to give the resolution to those issues then CITA will demand. Go through the request there were 58 people out of 58 participants agreed and needed CITA to do that job. And if there is no resolution by the government then there will be a big strike, said workshop participants.
After that Mrs. Heng You, Vice President of CITA, expressed her sincerely thanks to the participants and valued the 1 day workshop by saying that the today workshop is very important and effectively achieve because teachers known and were aware of the interests of the workshop, mean that teachers known the target of project implementation as well as CITA's actions and success in the past. Moreover, she hopes that all the teachers who joined in the workshop today will well cooperation with CITA and more publish the CITAs' actions.
After ending the speech of the Vice President, Mr. Rong Chhun voiced his deeply thanks to all teachers who are members and leaders represented for 24 provinces-cities, spent a valued time participated in the launching project implementation provided by the European Commission in order to enhance the human rights, democracy, teachers' living conditions and education quality.
Finally, he told all teachers to work hard and join in the association, to recruit more members and collect the membership dues in order to infinitely sustain CITA, especially to have a good cooperation with members and leaders in its province-city as well as other province-city. Moreover, he said that the provincial Executive Committee should have at least one meeting per month in order to share the information from province to district and to school. But again, he said that the province or district which did not elect their leaders, CITA will go and elect. Then he announced to implement the project and closed the workshop.
Phnom Penh , 23 rd March 2008 Written by:
Mr. Leng Bunhong
Chief of Administration, CITA |
