September 08 2009
IndianCatholic.in
PHNOM PENH : Sok Srey Ngai is 15 but can read and write the Khmer language only at a second-grade level. She needs to learn more if she is to have a chance at realizing her modest ambition to work in a beauty salon.
The Catholic parish in Kor Norear, her Vietnamese community about eight kilometers east of Phnom Penh along the Mekong river, is giving her that chance. She has taken Khmer lessons in the church compound for the past three years.
Another student, Chin Chantha, is only 10 but eager to read and write Khmer well enough to fulfill this dream of owning a construction company when he grows up, to support his family.
When UCA News visited recently, the sound of children pronouncing the many letters in the Khmer alphabet in their distinctive Vietnamese accent filled the classroom. They were divided into two groups within the one room, owing to lack of space and teachers.
According to their teacher, Ly Rattha, 44 children aged 6 to 12 are in grade one, and 10 aged 13-16 are in grade two.
Rattha, 25, says it is hard to teach two classes at the same time. When she starts teaching one grade, she gives exercises to the other.
Ly Sothear, coordinator of the literacy program for Vietnamese communities in Phnom Penh apostolic vicariate, says the Church runs Khmer literacy classes in 15 Vietnamese Catholic communities. The program in Kor Norear started in 1995.
"Our program is of basic Khmer lessons for Vietnamese children before we send them to public schools," he explained. "But many manage to study only until grade six in school, and then drop out. They then come back to our classes because they find it hard to cope."
Poverty among the Vietnamese communities, most of whose members earn their livelihood by fishing or work as construction workers, garbage collectors, cobblers and petty traders, is a major challenge, according to Sothear. Children have to help earn for the family, and sometimes the Church "loses" its students, especially during the fishing season.
Sothear stressed that the ability to read and write Khmer is a basic requirement to enter a technical school or get a decent job in the country. Moreover, the local Church has a policy of using Khmer in its liturgy.
Father Peter Le Van Tinh, in charge of ministry to Vietnamese communities in Cambodia, told UCA News the local Church encourages Vietnamese Catholics to integrate into the national culture.
"It is difficult for me to speak Khmer," admitted the priest, who was born in Vietnam. "But I always try to learn and say Mass in Khmer with them."
About 70 percent of the more than 26,000 Catholics in the country are ethnic Vietnamese.
The Catholic parish in Kor Norear, her Vietnamese community about eight kilometers east of Phnom Penh along the Mekong river, is giving her that chance. She has taken Khmer lessons in the church compound for the past three years.
Another student, Chin Chantha, is only 10 but eager to read and write Khmer well enough to fulfill this dream of owning a construction company when he grows up, to support his family.
When UCA News visited recently, the sound of children pronouncing the many letters in the Khmer alphabet in their distinctive Vietnamese accent filled the classroom. They were divided into two groups within the one room, owing to lack of space and teachers.
According to their teacher, Ly Rattha, 44 children aged 6 to 12 are in grade one, and 10 aged 13-16 are in grade two.
Rattha, 25, says it is hard to teach two classes at the same time. When she starts teaching one grade, she gives exercises to the other.
Ly Sothear, coordinator of the literacy program for Vietnamese communities in Phnom Penh apostolic vicariate, says the Church runs Khmer literacy classes in 15 Vietnamese Catholic communities. The program in Kor Norear started in 1995.
"Our program is of basic Khmer lessons for Vietnamese children before we send them to public schools," he explained. "But many manage to study only until grade six in school, and then drop out. They then come back to our classes because they find it hard to cope."
Poverty among the Vietnamese communities, most of whose members earn their livelihood by fishing or work as construction workers, garbage collectors, cobblers and petty traders, is a major challenge, according to Sothear. Children have to help earn for the family, and sometimes the Church "loses" its students, especially during the fishing season.
Sothear stressed that the ability to read and write Khmer is a basic requirement to enter a technical school or get a decent job in the country. Moreover, the local Church has a policy of using Khmer in its liturgy.
Father Peter Le Van Tinh, in charge of ministry to Vietnamese communities in Cambodia, told UCA News the local Church encourages Vietnamese Catholics to integrate into the national culture.
"It is difficult for me to speak Khmer," admitted the priest, who was born in Vietnam. "But I always try to learn and say Mass in Khmer with them."
About 70 percent of the more than 26,000 Catholics in the country are ethnic Vietnamese.
5 comments:
now we know why Hun Sen law require Khmer Krom to change their name to Cambodian if they want citizenships.
It is to mask this endemic hidden agenda of Khmerisation of Vietnamese people so they can freely move about and legally vote in Khmer country without eyes raised about their true nationality.
If you can't tell who's Khmer or who is Vietnamese on paper and by nationality, how can you ever prove vote fraud?
This is indeed very crafty. Vietnamese with full Khmer first and last name. Do you see how this is working my people?
Khmer in Vietnam must have distinct surnames so that the racial segregation and depriving of rights can continue, made easily by the forced surnames from a long time ago. Now Vietnamese in Khmer take on Khmer identity so they can take on all Khmer positions and the vision of the new Xmer is coming closer and closer.
Sad. This have to say a lot about this suspicion and truth behind this.
I don't have any problem with Vietnamese coming over and legally earning immigration status, but they should preserve their own names if they have no hidden agenda.
Please dont tell me that Vietnam is running out of land...this is not enough reason for the mass immigration into Cambodia. I dont have any problem with Vietnamese wanting to live amongst Cambodians in a lawful and peaceful mannner but this does not seems to be the case. So poster #1, I am in agreement with you.
these youn should have learned khmer language long time ago. no wonder they not welcomed in cambodia we khmer think they try to take cambodia from khmer people, that's why. look, they required khmer krom indigenous people to learn youn, so, now khmer people demand if they want to stay in cambodia, they, too, must learn to speak and write khmer langugae and of course fully assimilated and integrated into the national culture of khmer. that rights. we learn from them on how they did to khmer krom people, now they are required to learn to speak and write khmer language in cambodia. i told you what goes around comes around, sooner or later! this is not cambodia dark ages anymore, ok! khmer way or the highway or floating back down the mekong river youn country!
oh another thing, catholics is not only a youn's conversion religion, ok. khmer people can become catholics, too, if we so desire, so stop labeling this western religion as youn's because it not. don't mislead people, ok! cambodia has changed a lot since the dark ages, so, stop stealing from cambodia or youn people will lose more than youn can bite! this time your whole teeth will be missing if you try to steal khmer lands again. must respect khmer way!
there's more to the world than youn, you know! so, stop labeling everything youn! how about everything is khmer for a change, ok!
youn this youn that, get lost already, youn! we want khmer. we have pride in everything to be khmer, ok!
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