Teachers Reacted against the Ban of Meetings

On 24 February 2010 the Cambodia Independent Teachers Association appealed to the Ministry of Education to withdraw a currently order, which banned school teachers and education officers from assembling on school space to talk about social situations or political issues.

In a release that day, Mr. Rong Chhun the president of the above association accused the ministry of violating the Cambodian Constitution on assembly and freedom of expression. He added that his association has played as a significant partner with the government in reinforcing good governance and developing education system with better quality in the educational institution in Cambodia.

In mid January 2010, Mr. Im Sethy, Education Minister issued a directive ordering all teachers, education officers and school leaders not to hold any meeting to chat about sensitive issues; such as social conditions or political matters, accusing that such activities would beak Cambodia’s Law on Education.

He mentioned that so far some associations had performed such irregular activities by disseminating, electing their representatives and persuading education officers to go into their associations. However, these actions were not allowed anymore, he added, they would spoil teaching activities and the role of schools.

However Mr. Rong Chhun criticized that the directive showed the extreme and selfish due to the reason that the minister had never prohibited teachers, who were favor of the CPP from using schools as political platform; especially during the national elections, for instance, in 2008.

He called the directive as aiming to intimidate and threaten teachers not to join in his association because his association received growing supports among teachers throughout the country.

Related to the above case, it has been seen that the education minister did not only violate freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, but also rights to association, which also guarantees in the constitution. The act did not reflect the democratic nation. Moreover it also abused the international instruments; such as the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on behalf of a signatory country such laws.