An Unusual Day

Teachers Get a bank account ...

Bunong Teachers and school directors marking this unusual day ...

Thursday, February 6, 2014, Savy my VA and I were scheduled to visit the cluster village schools in Buchi Ri Commune to observe, discuss and identify the needs of the schools. 

As usual, we had scheduled our meetings during normal school hours and expected, as usual, to be greeted by children playing outside, because not all teachers are as usual, in attendance.  We expected, as usual, to have to phone teachers and school directors and remind them of our meetings or to reschedule.   

Lent my glasses to the school director to thumbprint his bank documents

But today was VERY unusual! To our surprise …  Every Single Teacher, and, school directors both in the ‘Primary/Secondary Panel’ were present at Kumamekong Vilage School.  They were waiting for staffs from ACLEDA Bank Plc. to arrive at Kumamekong Village School to open their own personal bank accounts.

During the process it was interesting to observe that teachers identified themselves with a thumbprint rather than a signature. Added to this, I lent one of the teachers my glasses to enable him to ‘thumbprint’ his

A teacher at the back of his friend's motorbike is Carefully reading his bank documents ...

bank documents.  Teachers wanted their photos taken to mark this 'unusual' day.  On the way home, one of the teachers on the back of a motorbike was carefully reading his bank documents that he was given minutes earlier.  

Truly a moment to remember ...

Both school directors and teachers were happy that they were being paid directly by the government and that they would no longer be victims of the mysterious ‘deductions’ they incurred from their meagre $100 a month salary when they were dependent on their supervisors to obtain their pay. 

'Tis truly a moment to remember ...   

Teachers get bank account ...

"The reform of payment system of teachers salaries has been stated policy change of VSO/Cuso Internatinal-Cambodia and our Education Advocacy Partners (NEP and CITA) since 2011 so we are delighted that after two years of  research, campaigning and lobbying this change in now been implemented.  This achievement stands as credit to all of our volunteers and education advocacy partners and demonstrates how VSO/Cuso International -Cambodia can play a role in closing the circle between national policy and changes in practice and policy which make a real difference to the lives of teachers and students.

 Thank you all very much for your commitment to bring about this significant change."  VSO Cambodia

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More later :)