Some 50 grade 12 students yesterday protested in front of the Bavel District Education Office to demand that two teachers, who were transferred from Bavel High School to work at the district office in December, be allowed to return to teach in their classrooms.

Mao Sarith, Bavel commune police chief, said teachers Neang Chamnab and Rat Saret were accused of “destroying school property” in a complaint filed by Bavel High School Principal Hour Vuthy after the pair held a party on school grounds and allegedly drunkenly destroyed several trees, a patch of garden, an information board and a bench in the early hours of December 8.

Sarith said he had referred the case back to school officials to resolve as the teachers had been drunk and hadn’t harmed anyone.

Hour said he had filed the complaint as the teachers were armed with a machete and an axe on the night in question.

“The [provincial] Education Department sent one committee to solve [the problem], and decided to swap them to work in the Bavel District Education Office for a period of time,” he said.