The principal of Prey Veng’s Hun Sen Peamro High School was removed by the provincial education department on Wednesday for withholding some of the school’s budget for non-education spending.

Announcing the department’s decision in front of 100 teachers and the student body, Chhun Sophal, a deputy chief at the Prey Veng education department, said that Hak Nin would no longer be working at the school and would be moved to a new job at the provincial education department.

The shift, he said, was in response to a corruption complaint submitted by the teaching staff, who had alleged the principal had misspent the school’s money.

“The teachers and students found that he took the school’s budget, but not for development of the school – that is why they want him removed from school,” he said.

Sophal did not detail how much had been misspent or where the money had gone, as it was part of the investigation, he said, without elaborating.

Ouk Chhayvy, acting director at the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association, said yesterday that the education department should do more to explain the situation and make sure the school is compensated.

“Why did [they] not fine him?” he asked. “We appreciate that he was withdrawn as principal of the school, as the teacher and students had wanted, but he is still working at provincial education department.”