Students Forced to Pay Bribes

Reports of bribery in Cambodian schools underscore the country's
uphill battle against corruption.

Cambodian schoolchildren are being forced to pay bribes to pass high
school admissions tests, a senior local educator said on Thursday
while calling on the country's Ministry of Education to have students
retake their most recent exams.

"These tests must be taken again, as the results of the previous tests
are not valid," Cambodian Independent Teachers' Association president
Rong Chhun told RFA in an interview.

Proctors and examiners for junior high school students are requiring
payments of between U.S. $30 to U.S. $60 for a passing grade on high
school entrance exams, Rong Chhun said, adding that "middlemen" are
charging similar amounts for assurances the bribes will reach the
right people.

"There is a price for middlemen between U.S. $30 to U.S. $50. I urge
the Ministry of Education to work with local authorities to bring the
suspects to justice," Rong Chhun said.

Cambodian Minister of Education Im Sethy could not be reached for
comment, but the reports of bribery in Cambodia's schools underscore
the country's reputation, highlighted in a recent report by
Berlin-based Transparency International, for widespread corruption in
the public sector.

"This bribery takes place across the country," Rong Chhun said.

Payment to proctors

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the parent of a student in Kandal
province said that his son had been told to pay U.S. $30 to proctors
at the Bun Rany Hun Sen High School Examination Center in order to
pass his exam, held on July 16-17.

"All students were asked to pay at least U.S. $30 dollars, including
my son. But my son gave only U.S. $25," he said.

Results of the exam will be released on July 28, he said.

Berlin-based corruption watchdog Transparency International ranked
Cambodia 164th worst out of 182 countries surveyed in its 2011
Corruption Perception Index.

Cambodia's official Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) launched an initiative
in May to eliminate bribes solicited by local commune councilors for
performing public services, with ACU deputy director Chhay Savuth
declaring that "[Cambodia's] culture of bribery has been in place for
over 20 years."

But international organizations have warned that the country's
graft-busting bodies will not be effective until they are free of
government influence and control.

Students Forced to Pay Bribes :: 2012-07-26
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/schools-07262012153620.html