Teachers’ extra earnings

This is where our community discusses almost anything! While we're mainly a Cambodia expat discussion forum and talk about expat life here, we debate about almost everything. Even if you're a tourist passing through Southeast Asia and want to connect with expatriates living and working in Cambodia, this is the first section of our site that you should check out. Our members start their own discussions or post links to other blogs and/or news articles they find interesting and want to chat about. So join in the fun and start new topics, or feel free to comment on anything our community members have already started! We also have some Khmer members here as well, but English is the main language used on CEO. You're welcome to have a look around, and if you decide you want to participate, you can become a part our international expat community by signing up for a free account.
Mishmash
Expatriate
Posts: 1949
Joined: Tue Nov 14, 2017 7:34 pm
Reputation: 1151
Cambodia

Re: Teachers’ extra earnings

Post by Mishmash »

Bitte_Kein_Lexus wrote: Wed Sep 25, 2019 11:56 am Negative. High school salary in the city is currently around that. Might be lower in the countryside for obvious reasons (much lower of cost living). I'm not 100% sure (could check), but I think primary school teachers now make exactly the same as grade 7-12 teachers.

Keep in mind that there's a big reform going on at the moment. The vast majority of teachers in the countryside don't have a degree. Up to grade 9, they typically just go to a teacher training college in Phnom Penh and do a two year course after high school. They focus on the subject they'll be teaching, as well as teaching methodology and so on. They then go on to teach grades 1-9. Teachers grade 10-12 need a degree. There probably is a pay difference between grade 7 teachers with no degree and grade 12 teachers with a degree. However, pretty soon teachers teaching grades 7 onwards (maybe even primary school, can't remember) will be required to have a full university degree. Teacher trainers will need a masters (currently only need an undergraduate degree+training), and so on. This is all happening as we speak, so a lot of changes in requirements, pay, etc.

The students from the new NGS system (New Generation School) are pretty clued in. A lot of bright kids coming out of public schools now, it's not a bad. Sisowath was the first school to implement the new curriculum. The teachers who teach NGS have a different outfit (green skirts I think). Things are definitely improving, it's just slow and underfunded (but that's generally true of education worldwide). Teachers put up with the low salary because of the flexibility it allows: they can teach extra classes, or work part time at a private school to compensate. Take that away without a significant increase in pay, and they wouldn't be able to attract anyone.
Highly informative - I never knew about NGS - Green skirts and I presume the guys have a similar distinguishing style - Thanks for that BKL
Jcml19
Expatriate
Posts: 236
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2019 7:18 pm
Reputation: 70
United States of America

Re: Teachers’ extra earnings

Post by Jcml19 »

Bitte_Kein_Lexus wrote: Wed Sep 25, 2019 9:39 am They make around $400. Under five years ago it was $200-250, so there's definitely been a good increase. Still, it's not exactly much considering factory workers make $190 minimum, not counting overtime... Most professionals can now easily make $400-1000

$400 bucks a tad high.. then again im no expert, im just going by per capita income... $1k range is in the china range for sal so its hard to imagine that scale in cam
User avatar
Bitte_Kein_Lexus
Expatriate
Posts: 4421
Joined: Sun May 18, 2014 7:32 pm
Reputation: 1325

Re: Teachers’ extra earnings

Post by Bitte_Kein_Lexus »

Jcml19 wrote:
Bitte_Kein_Lexus wrote: Wed Sep 25, 2019 9:39 am They make around $400. Under five years ago it was $200-250, so there's definitely been a good increase. Still, it's not exactly much considering factory workers make $190 minimum, not counting overtime... Most professionals can now easily make $400-1000

$400 bucks a tad high.. then again im no expert, im just going by per capita income... $1k range is in the china range for sal so its hard to imagine that scale in cam
Not that high really. I know plenty of professionals in the city making $600-1200+. Sky is the limit for business owners. Again, a teacher can make $1000 when they do the extra classes/tutoring on the side. No matter what some crappy NGO might claim about people living off $1/day, the days of $80/month are long gone, even for the cleaners and beer garden waiters. Only in remote parts of the countryside are salaries still really low. For the rest, I'd say they've followed/surpassed inflation. How do you think so many people can afford cars, houses, $4 coffees and so on?

As for the elections having something to do with it (taabarang), I don't think so. The minister of education was appointed back in 2013 or so, so it's not like these are last minute, recent changes. There have been constant stream of changes, most notably to clampdown on rampant grade 12 cheating and maintaining higher standards in that regard. They've done a good job at it, and students are now taking it seriously as it's not really possible to bribe your way through anymore. Other changes involve trying to modernize the curriculum, improvement to the renumeration of staff as we as requiring higher qualifications and training. It's not all sunshine and rainbows of course, but it's a slow work in progress, as is to be expected when starting off with such a low standard to begin with.
Ex Bitteeinbit/LexusSchmexus
Ot Mean Loi
Expatriate
Posts: 373
Joined: Sun Dec 09, 2018 1:46 pm
Reputation: 333
Australia

Re: Teachers’ extra earnings

Post by Ot Mean Loi »

A very interesting forum topic and one that I am following with considerable interest.

Also most refreshing to see actual discussion and pro and con being posted to forum instead of previously more usual personal attacks/dennegration.

I am particularly interested in this discussion, as one of the several Khmer females whose education I am fully committed to supporting has expressed a desire to become, "as a minimum", a graduate School Teacher and, if at all possible, gain entry to medical school.

Horrendously, she is one of 49 in her Year 11 class in provincial Cambodia!

OML
Anchor Moy
Expatriate
Posts: 13458
Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 11:37 pm
Reputation: 3974
Tokelau

Re: Teachers’ extra earnings

Post by Anchor Moy »

Returning to the subject of teachers' extra earnings ...

Teacher’s association seeks permission for march with petitions
Eng Reachny | Publication date 27 September 2022 | 20:18 ICT
The Cambodian Independent Teacher’s Association (CITA) plans to celebrate this year’s Teachers’ Day on October 5 with a public display, with Phnom Penh authorities saying that permission may be granted depending on the circumstances.

A meeting between Phnom Penh City Hall and CITA is scheduled for September 28, with the association expected to apply to mark the day in Freedom Park and then deliver petitions to relevant institutions.

The meeting will be chaired by Phnom Penh deputy governors Keut Chhe and Mean Chanyada. CITA president Ouk Chhayavy will attend, along with an additional 17 participants.
Chhe said on September 27 that the meeting was an important opportunity for both parties to ensure that the purpose of the day was clear.

While explaining this year’s theme, “Levels of Teachers’ Status in Cambodia”, Chhayavy said that the association wanted to improve the image of teachers. She would like to see them displaying more professionalism by not taking on catering contracts, offering tutoring services for cash or deducting scores from students who are unable to study full-time, she added.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... -petitions
User avatar
CEOCambodiaNews
Expatriate
Posts: 62322
Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2014 5:13 am
Reputation: 4033
Location: CEO Newsroom in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Contact:
Cambodia

Re: Teachers’ extra earnings

Post by CEOCambodiaNews »

September 29, 2022
Amateur teachers to be given ‘proper’ training
[excerpts]
The number of teachers with no knowledge of teaching entering service increased from 1.051 last year to 1,192 this year.

According to the Ministry of Education report, 193 teachers in urban schools knew little about the work or function of a teacher and 858 in rural schools in 2021.

The number of such teachers for the 2021-2022 academic years is 106 in urban schools and 1,086 in rural schools.

Ministry of Education spokesman Ros Soveacha said there are about 90,000 teachers to teach three million students from the kindergarten to high school level.

He said the ministry is striving to improve teachers’ capacity to improve standards in both rural and urban schools.

He said the utmost priority of the ministry is to support students’ education, and as such, the ministry must ensure that the education system only has teachers who can teach.

He said officials will work with teachers and allow them to be properly trained at national teacher training institutions that are located around the nation.

Ouk Chhayavy, president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers said that teachers who lack skills do not mean the teacher lack experience in working and teaching students.
She said that some of the teachers may not have it, however, they are capable of working with students.

“Due to the shortage of teachers at certain remote schools, these schools must rely on volunteer teachers or young teachers who lack the training to teach students,” she added.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501159004/ ... -training/
Join the Cambodia Expats Online Telegram Channel: https://t.me/CambodiaExpatsOnline

Cambodia Expats Online: Bringing you breaking news from Cambodia before you read it anywhere else!

Have a story or an anonymous news tip for CEO? Need advertising? CONTACT US

Cambodia Expats Online is the most popular community in the country. JOIN TODAY

Follow CEO on social media:

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
User avatar
CEOCambodiaNews
Expatriate
Posts: 62322
Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2014 5:13 am
Reputation: 4033
Location: CEO Newsroom in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Contact:
Cambodia

Re: Teachers’ extra earnings

Post by CEOCambodiaNews »

October 5, 2022
Gloomy Teacher’s Day for many
[excerpts]
While Cambodia celebrates Teacher Day today, many teachers are having a difficult time exercising their right to free speech and have to bear with a subpar educational system, low pay, and disrespectful students.

World Teacher Day is celebrated every October 5, and the theme for this year’s celebration is “Our teacher, Our Future, Our Country”.

Ouk Chhayavy, president of Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association, said that hundreds of teachers in the association are struggling with their low pay.

She said that the new salary scale announced by the government effective next year is still insufficient to pay their expenses.

“All products in the market are expensive and with their low pay, how can teachers stay motivated when their salary is not enough to pay their living expenses,” she said.

Chhayavy said that teachers are unable to voice their worries, and desires, or even defend themselves when they are accused of doing anything wrong by parents or the school management.

Grade 1 teacher, Dam Kanha, 38, has 20 years of teaching experience.

“I am exhausted and my vocal cords hurt from having to speak loudly so that the whole class can hear. Students can make a lot of noise and many do not care if a teacher is teaching.”

“I have had 70 children in a class before, and though most of them are little, many will not be able to find a decent seat in the small classroom. Classroom management can be chaotic due to a large number of young pupils, but I do my utmost handling it,” she said.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501162485/ ... -for-many/
Join the Cambodia Expats Online Telegram Channel: https://t.me/CambodiaExpatsOnline

Cambodia Expats Online: Bringing you breaking news from Cambodia before you read it anywhere else!

Have a story or an anonymous news tip for CEO? Need advertising? CONTACT US

Cambodia Expats Online is the most popular community in the country. JOIN TODAY

Follow CEO on social media:

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
User avatar
John Bingham
Expatriate
Posts: 13674
Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2014 11:26 pm
Reputation: 8892
Cambodia

Re: Teachers’ extra earnings

Post by John Bingham »

Those national schools are quite grim. There are some good ones in the capital but even here many are not great.
They have very basic facilities. More often than not no windows, just bars. Good for the breeze but not so good for noise coming from adjoining rooms. Some places have desks from the 1950s with ink well holes at the corners. The yards are often quite nice in a way, as they usually have a lot of trees. However they are usually quite unkempt. Busted up stuff, garbage, flooded patches etc. They should be much better.
Silence, exile, and cunning.
User avatar
IraHayes
Expatriate
Posts: 2676
Joined: Sat May 17, 2014 7:38 am
Reputation: 2030
Marshall Islands

Re: Teachers’ extra earnings

Post by IraHayes »

John Bingham wrote: Wed Oct 05, 2022 6:44 pm Those national schools are quite grim. There are some good ones in the capital but even here many are not great.
They have very basic facilities. More often than not no windows, just bars. Good for the breeze but not so good for noise coming from adjoining rooms. Some places have desks from the 1950s with ink well holes at the corners. The yards are often quite nice in a way, as they usually have a lot of trees. However they are usually quite unkempt. Busted up stuff, garbage, flooded patches etc. They should be much better.
Grim would be an understatement tbh
Some? A generous choice of words.. I would have gone with "a few" but I'm not that uptodate with the state of public schools so maybe you are correct with "some"

Santhormok Primary School at the junction of MTT blvd/Kampuchea Krom blvd was where my 2 started just before COVID hit. and it was exactly as JB describes.
The grounds were nice but after years of zero maintenance were in a pretty poor shape and, in places, outright dangerous.

We only started them there as I had been dragging my heels over enrolling in them at the school I was teaching at but it was certainly an eye-opener.
User avatar
John Bingham
Expatriate
Posts: 13674
Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2014 11:26 pm
Reputation: 8892
Cambodia

Re: Teachers’ extra earnings

Post by John Bingham »

Sisowath and Norodom schools are very nice, they have wealthy benefactors due to the fact that they are elite central national schools. I've visited a lot of national schools in the capital and provinces through work or volunteer work on elections etc. Most are not so great. One that stands out was in a crap village on top of a dusty hill in Preah Vihear province. There were hundreds of kids and they had two classrooms and were still using blackboards. They had a big yard but it was like the whole area - just wasteland from where the forest had been stripped. You couldn't see a tree from horizon to horizon. And it was a national park.
Silence, exile, and cunning.
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Khmu Nation, Ong Tay and 1395 guests