Bribery and corruption

I have been hearing about the corruption which goes on in Cambodia's school education system. Schooling is free to all children, BUT if the pupils don’t give a few riel to the teacher every day, they don’t get any help in the classroom. If they fail their end of year exams, they are supposed to retake the year’s schooling again. However, most teachers will accept a bribe of $5 from a failed pupil to allow them to go up to the next class. If the teacher takes the moral high ground and refuses the bribe, the child would then go to see the headteacher, who would have no qualms about accepting it. Corruption continues into the university sector, with students effectively buying their qualifications. This situation completely undermines the whole education system, and means that the qualifications of even hardworking and able students are worthless.

It is the same in other public sector services.
 Police stand at street corners flagging down vehicles and demanding payments from unlucky passers-by on trumped up charges. If people actually need the services of the police to recover stolen property or solve a crime, they need to pay heavily for it.
 Fishery officials accept bribes from illegal fishermen, thus undermining the attempts for communities to manage their own fishery resources. This also means that illegal fishing continues, causing long term problems to the environment, fish stocks and livelihoods. The same happens with forestry officials, who are effectively supporting deforestation and all the long term environmental and livelihoods problems that this brings.
 Hospitals are supposedly free of charge, but unless patients pay the medical staff they won’t get any treatment at all. Even when they pay, the health care here is absolutely rubbish, if not dangerous.

At one level, the corruption is understandable. All public sector workers earn around $30 a month, which is nowhere near enough for one person to live on, let alone support a family. The national government is completely corrupt, and sets the example that others follow.

In my opinion, corruption is the biggest problem in Cambodia, and the cause of poverty and many other difficulties. If public sector workers were paid a living wage, maybe the acceptance of widespread corruption would reduce and Cambodia could start to move forward. My hope is that the international community in the form of donors and NGOs will hold their Cambodian beneficiaries increasingly accountable for the money they give, and where there is the slightest sniff of corruption support is immediately withdrawn. This would be a hard lesson for Cambodia, but very necessary if the country is to progress.