ĐẮK LẮK — Police said they have arrested Huỳnh Bê, a principal of a secondary school in the Central Highlands province, over allegations of misappropriated assets.

Previously, police in the rural district of Krông Pắk received a complaint from Chu Thị Long in Ea Yông Commune. She alleged that her family gave Huỳnh Bê VNĐ300 million (US$14,300) to ‘buy’ a teaching post at a college in Đắk Lắk Province for her daughter.

On August 19, 2016 after receiving the full amount, Huỳnh Bê wrote a ‘commitment document’ in which he promised to secure a teaching post for Long’s daughter. However, one year later, Huỳnh Bê still hadn’t managed to follow through with his promise and multiple times refused to return the money.

Huỳnh Bê has admitted to the police that he received the bribe from Long’s family.

Krông Pắk police said they have received several similar complaints against Bê from many other victims.

Teachers of the Ngô Mây secondary school, where Bê was the principal, also alleged that he misappropriated parts of the salaries of teachers on short-term contracts. They also claimed that Bê’s son, who left his post at the school in November 2017, still received a full monthly salary until February this year.

The arrest is part of a sprawling investigation into violations in the employment of hundreds of teachers beyond the allocated quota for the public schools in the Krông Pắk District.

The province’s inspections, concluded in early March, revealed the redundancy of 600 teachers, and the authorities issued a decision to terminate contracts with 600 teachers. Two hundred of them would find themselves jobless, as the province currently has no demand for their teaching subjects. The other 400 laid-off teachers are eligible for the upcoming employment exam to secure one of the 178 much-vied-for teaching jobs vacant in the public schools. The sudden decision sparked anxiety amongst the teachers and drew attention across the country.

The ministry of home affairs in a press conference yesterday said the mass firing of improperly employed teachers was a step in the right direction, in line with efforts to downsize the public sector. Other solutions, however, will be studied to ensure employment for all those affected. — VNS