Vice President of University Relations and Student Affairs at Pannasastra University of Cambodia, Kieng Rotana (front left), and Minister of Education, Kol Pheng, stop Tuesday to take a closer look at the wooden Gen. John A. Logan statue outside the college. The two were touring the college among other stops to see how the educational system is run in the United States. (Photo: STEVE JAHNKE / THE SOUTHERN)Cambodian Minister of Education visits Southern Illinois
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
By Codell Rodriguez,
The Southern (Illinois, USA)
On Tuesday, the halls of John A. Logan College were occupied by students, faculty, staff and the Cambodian Minister of Education.
Kol Pheng made a stop by the Southern Illinois Collegiate Common Market offices in Herrin and John A. Logan College to learn about two-year institutions and specifically about their allied health programs. He plans to take some ideas back to Cambodia, which is void of community colleges. Pheng made the visit with Kieng Rotana, vice president of University Relations and Student Affairs at Pannasastra University of Cambodia.
Common Market executive director Mary J. Sullivan and Allen Cissell, executive director of the East-West Community College Partnership, were invited to tour the university in Cambodia in September. Likewise, Pheng was invited here.
With Cambodia still reeling from more than two decades of civil war, Pheng said his country has a lot of room to grow as far as education.
"We are so far behind," Pheng said.
After visiting the Common Market offices, Pheng and Rotana toured classrooms that house nursing and dental students. Rotana, who recorded the tour, said he was going report to his board of directors on what he saw so they can "cut and paste" a few ideas.
Pheng was impressed by the medical laboratories, the idea of distance education and even the school's look. He stopped to look at some photographs containing one-word messages, such as a volleyball player with the word, "fairness," and chuckled when he recognized the picture of Abraham Lincoln on the "honesty" poster.
"You should do this," Pheng said to Rotana.
After the tour, Pheng and Rotana, along with Sullivan and Cissell, had a discussion with other representatives from the college.
"It will be really beneficial for us to try and implement some new curriculum," Pheng said. "We plan to have some cooperation with SICCM."
Sullivan agreed and said she hopes SICCM will keep working with Pheng and Cambodia.
"We feel future partnerships are inevitable," Sullivan said.
codell.rodriguez@thesouthern.com
Kol Pheng made a stop by the Southern Illinois Collegiate Common Market offices in Herrin and John A. Logan College to learn about two-year institutions and specifically about their allied health programs. He plans to take some ideas back to Cambodia, which is void of community colleges. Pheng made the visit with Kieng Rotana, vice president of University Relations and Student Affairs at Pannasastra University of Cambodia.
Common Market executive director Mary J. Sullivan and Allen Cissell, executive director of the East-West Community College Partnership, were invited to tour the university in Cambodia in September. Likewise, Pheng was invited here.
With Cambodia still reeling from more than two decades of civil war, Pheng said his country has a lot of room to grow as far as education.
"We are so far behind," Pheng said.
After visiting the Common Market offices, Pheng and Rotana toured classrooms that house nursing and dental students. Rotana, who recorded the tour, said he was going report to his board of directors on what he saw so they can "cut and paste" a few ideas.
Pheng was impressed by the medical laboratories, the idea of distance education and even the school's look. He stopped to look at some photographs containing one-word messages, such as a volleyball player with the word, "fairness," and chuckled when he recognized the picture of Abraham Lincoln on the "honesty" poster.
"You should do this," Pheng said to Rotana.
After the tour, Pheng and Rotana, along with Sullivan and Cissell, had a discussion with other representatives from the college.
"It will be really beneficial for us to try and implement some new curriculum," Pheng said. "We plan to have some cooperation with SICCM."
Sullivan agreed and said she hopes SICCM will keep working with Pheng and Cambodia.
"We feel future partnerships are inevitable," Sullivan said.
codell.rodriguez@thesouthern.com
5 comments:
Careful not to let yourself being brainwashed the US like Ah Khmer-US.
Kol Pheng was reputedly educated in the US and even received a doctoral degree there. How rediculous it is to see the guy coming to "learn" from the very education system he had gone through. I guess this shows how incompetent he is. And to have this kind of knucklehead at the top of our education sysetem, Cambodian people will need a lot of self efforts in order to get ahead.
How pitiful.
Khmer-US have tasted and enjoyed full freedom and some of them want Cambodians in Cambodia to have the chance to exercise this freedom. 4:29 PM is konkap knong ondoung and he wants everyone to see only a small sky that he has seen....
Hey, if you want khmer to enjoy what you enjoy in the west just send us your half of pay check, okay? Otherwise, just shut the fuck up.
I know Kol Pheng, not only is he my grandfather but he is really wised. before you talk shit you watch yourself okay? Let me see you be at his top level of position.
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