TBONG KHMUM: After receiving complaints from teachers and officials of the Tbong Khmum Provincial Department of Education in November 2022, the Tbong Khmum administration assigned officials to look into the allegations made against the Director of the Tbong Khmum Provincial Department of Education, In Povsambath, regarding the embezzlement of the national budget and the salaries of some teachers.

According to a statement released by the Tbong Khmum Provincial Administration on Wednesday, 4 January 2022, the administration conducted a direct investigation at the Department of Education and found that Director In Povsambath did nothing wrong, contrary to the allegations made by teachers and officials of the department. The provincial administration instead praised In Povsambath for his management skills, which they said have contributed to many achievements in the education sector.

“The department's director has also put in a lot of effort by utilizing his abilities, knowledge, and resources to support social and humanitarian activity,” read the statement.

It should be noted that in November 2022, officials and teachers under the Tbong Khmum education department accused Director In Povsambath of corruption and requested the Ministry of Education to remove him from his post.

In the letter sent to the Ministry of Education, signed within the period of 24-30 November 2022 by officials of the Tbong Khmum Provincial Department of Education, it was stated that In Povsambath had embezzled the national budget allocated to the department in three different instances and had also taken the January 2021 salaries of 95 contracted teachers in Memot district (totaling nearly 97 million riel) for himself.

In addition to embezzling the national budget, officials under the Tbong Khmum Provincial Department of Education also stated that Director In Povsambath’s management lacked transparency and was biased. In particular, they stated that he only focuses on his own self-interests, disregards the development and reform of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, and takes no action to solve problems in the Department and across schools in the province.

The same letter claimed that In Povsambath plotted with his staff and training office to move educational staff around without consulting the department's committee and earned thousands of dollars while doing so, which is against the national policy on teacher deployment.