Phnom Penh (FN), Mar. 18 – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet instructed the Council of Ministers to study and prepare the awarding of medals to officials and contract teachers who have worked diligently in service to the nation.

The premier spoke on Tuesday (Mar. 18) during the Royal Government and Sub-national Administrations forum.

“In terms of recognising teachers, I have heard that contract officers or contract teachers in the past have not received medals but only letters of commendation. In this regard, Minister Vongsey Vissoth should take charge of this matter, as even citizens who contribute to social work receive gold medals. Therefore, contract teachers should also be eligible for such recognition, as there is no difficulty in doing so,” the premier underscored.

Samdech Thipadei noted that teaching students is an essential form of social work. While philanthropists who donate their own resources and funds to support development projects are awarded medals, teachers also contribute to society through their work. Although some teachers hold official positions while others do not, their role in educating students remains the same.

Samdech Thipadei continued, “I would like to forward this task to the Council of Ministers. They should review the matter of awarding medals to teachers or contract teachers in recognition of their contribution to national development. Please make the necessary preparations for this initiative.”

The premier further stated that contract teachers who have completed three years of service and meet the required qualifications should be provided with an official framework.

“I propose considering a framework for contract teachers. For regular teachers, the 12+4 system requires passing the teacher education exam and completing four years of teacher training. For volunteer teachers, those who have served under contract for three years or more and meet specific qualifications should be eligible. There must be clear regulations [...] and if they meet the necessary qualifications, they should only be required to undertake two years of training instead of four in order to qualify for promotion and enter the official framework,” the premier added.

Taking this occasion, the prime minister reaffirmed the principle of allowing retired teachers to continue teaching in areas experiencing teacher shortages.
=FRESH NEWS