Vicheth Sen*20 June 2010
Issue: 129
University World News
Universities need to move beyond their traditional roles of teaching, learning and research towards another core function - linking campuses to communities. They can play a key role in organising programmes in which students have the opportunity to be engaged in civic activities. This is particularly important in countries like Cambodia, which have been damaged by severe societal breakdowns in the past.
The erosion of trust in Cambodia - both interpersonal and institutional - caused by the Khmer Rouge regime, has weakened people's ability to work together for a common goal. It has crippled Cambodia's ability to recover from the devastation caused by prolonged civil conflicts. The Khmer Rouge regime left a psychological legacy - in this case, trauma - which has yet to be treated or healed.
As someone born after the collapse of the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979, I believe that many young Cambodians have been affected by their parents' bad experiences. This trauma has become inter-generational.
Although young Cambodians' experiences are not as bad as those of their parents, parents' traumatic experiences of the genocidal regime and the chronic civil wars have been passed on to their children through the ways they were brought up.
The bad experiences affected the ways people viewed the world around them and how they related to other people. The erosion of trust continues into present Cambodian society.
It is noticeable that the ability to work together among (young) Cambodians tends to be limited to within families and small intimate groups of close friends. People don't seem to have enough confidence to extend cooperation beyond close networks, which really affects their ability to work together as well as the productivity of their work.
Promoting civic engagement at universities allows students to interact with one another beyond their small groups, to communicate with one another, to work together to achieve a common purpose, and to learn about one another, which leads to a better understanding of each other.
This process is critical for confidence and trust building, which is the first step to encouraging people to work together productively.
However, because of limited budget and lack of understanding of the importance of civic engagement, most Cambodian universities focus only on their traditional roles of teaching, learning and research.
Although some students mention having been involved in community service or volunteerism, the primary reason they stated was egoistic rather than altruistic, self-centered rather than compassionate. For instance, the most cited reason for doing community service or volunteerism was to gain some experience so that it was easier to secure a job in future.
I believe being civically engaged means learning to give back to the community, to help one another, to share, to take responsibilities, to understand the working and systems of the government and the processes of choosing a leader, and learning to be a good leader, to be accountable and to understand the principles and practices of democracy, to mention a few.
In this sense, civic engagement at university makes young people build or connect the missing link between the academic world and the real world. Civic engagement makes the students understand the importance of being civically engaged because of the benefits they will gain by doing so.
It also helps them to learn to trust fellow Cambodians through working together and helping those in need of support. At the same time, they learn to be good citizens and good leaders.
What's also important is that civic education programmes help students to understand the importance of their role in a democratic country. This is vital not only in the present but also in the future. I believe that a healthy democratic country has a huge population with high levels of civic mindedness and engagement.
For this reason, in this critical stage of democratising Cambodia, it is important to promote civic engagement among young Cambodians. This will provide a good opportunity for them not only to be well prepared for future careers but also to contribute to a healthy democracy in this newly democratised country.
* Vicheth Sen, a lecturer at the Royal Phnom Penh University, is the author of Higher Education and Civic Engagement In Cambodia: A Case Study at the Royal University of Phnom Penh.
The erosion of trust in Cambodia - both interpersonal and institutional - caused by the Khmer Rouge regime, has weakened people's ability to work together for a common goal. It has crippled Cambodia's ability to recover from the devastation caused by prolonged civil conflicts. The Khmer Rouge regime left a psychological legacy - in this case, trauma - which has yet to be treated or healed.
As someone born after the collapse of the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979, I believe that many young Cambodians have been affected by their parents' bad experiences. This trauma has become inter-generational.
Although young Cambodians' experiences are not as bad as those of their parents, parents' traumatic experiences of the genocidal regime and the chronic civil wars have been passed on to their children through the ways they were brought up.
The bad experiences affected the ways people viewed the world around them and how they related to other people. The erosion of trust continues into present Cambodian society.
It is noticeable that the ability to work together among (young) Cambodians tends to be limited to within families and small intimate groups of close friends. People don't seem to have enough confidence to extend cooperation beyond close networks, which really affects their ability to work together as well as the productivity of their work.
Promoting civic engagement at universities allows students to interact with one another beyond their small groups, to communicate with one another, to work together to achieve a common purpose, and to learn about one another, which leads to a better understanding of each other.
This process is critical for confidence and trust building, which is the first step to encouraging people to work together productively.
However, because of limited budget and lack of understanding of the importance of civic engagement, most Cambodian universities focus only on their traditional roles of teaching, learning and research.
Although some students mention having been involved in community service or volunteerism, the primary reason they stated was egoistic rather than altruistic, self-centered rather than compassionate. For instance, the most cited reason for doing community service or volunteerism was to gain some experience so that it was easier to secure a job in future.
I believe being civically engaged means learning to give back to the community, to help one another, to share, to take responsibilities, to understand the working and systems of the government and the processes of choosing a leader, and learning to be a good leader, to be accountable and to understand the principles and practices of democracy, to mention a few.
In this sense, civic engagement at university makes young people build or connect the missing link between the academic world and the real world. Civic engagement makes the students understand the importance of being civically engaged because of the benefits they will gain by doing so.
It also helps them to learn to trust fellow Cambodians through working together and helping those in need of support. At the same time, they learn to be good citizens and good leaders.
What's also important is that civic education programmes help students to understand the importance of their role in a democratic country. This is vital not only in the present but also in the future. I believe that a healthy democratic country has a huge population with high levels of civic mindedness and engagement.
For this reason, in this critical stage of democratising Cambodia, it is important to promote civic engagement among young Cambodians. This will provide a good opportunity for them not only to be well prepared for future careers but also to contribute to a healthy democracy in this newly democratised country.
* Vicheth Sen, a lecturer at the Royal Phnom Penh University, is the author of Higher Education and Civic Engagement In Cambodia: A Case Study at the Royal University of Phnom Penh.
14 comments:
I totally agree with the author's ideas!
Go and International Justice first.
ជនអាប់ឥតប្រាជ្ញា សំរាំងខ្លួនហើយសំរាំងទៀត ទុកបំរុងគ្រាន់តែបំរើជនដទៃជា នាយ ព្រោះប្រាថ្នាទ្រព្យ ដូចស្ត្រីផ្កាមាសតុបតែងខ្លួនឲ្យល្អ ទុកសំរាប់តែបុរស ។ (ស្រីហិតោបទេសភាគ២ របស់ព្រះភិក្ខុ ប៉ាង ខាត់ វិរិយបណ្ឌិតោ)
In Cambodia´s universities there are only teaching and learning and no research, let alone Link to the Community..
The heads of the universities, including private Universities, are appointed by the governemnt based on their political affilaiation (the same for the High Schools and Pagodas).
Many Head of universities are
" Excellencies" and "Advisers" of the governemnt and Top CPP officals. Take for a stereotype the
" University Chamroeun Pahuvithya"
Whose president is " Pandit Chamroeun", a former NEC official and adviser of Hun Sen. This
" University" can deliver y6ou a phD diploma for " students" who júst pay the school fee and without attending the classess.....
Cambodia is a souless nation that should be immediately solved.poeple dont trust each other, have no respect to each other and are discourage. this was cuases by war legacy and by ill-model left by a group of ruling people.
Schools give no real education to the young people. They are money focussed.
The heads of universities who are Excellencies or Advisors are only making business on the students,
Schools give no real education to the young people. They are money focussed.
The heads of universities who are Excellencies or Advisors are only making business on the students,
Schools give no real education to the young people. They are money focussed.
The heads of universities who are Excellencies or Advisors are only making business on the students,
i agree wholeheartedly with the author of this article. universities allow students to be hands-on and participate in the community or society in which it is located and more. yes, i think all great ideas, etc started in colleges or universities. there ought to be a lot of exchange program with america's universities as well in cambodia. i think this is a bright future for cambodia to encourage this kind of learning if we are to shape the good future of our country, etc...
yes, american universities should form a strong exchange program with khmer universities in cambodia to form a strong friendship bond forever. i think schools play a large role in making a real difference in terms of ideas, philosophies, changing people's perception, reforms, innovation, networking, interacting with the world, etc, etc..., really. please help to advocate or push for this kind of role by university studies, etc... god bless.
it is well written and makes sense. i don't know about the quality of education in cambodia. i think the curriculum is rigid but the mamagement is not. and of cause, if corruption permeates the system, there is no hope for quality of learning and teaching.
from k-8 teacher, usa
Pannasastra University has earned its credit through community service learning. The only private university in Cambodia, that practices social responsibility.
Always blame "khmer Rouge". Vietrnamese agents and regular troops killed millions khmers. They annex khmer land, too.
I used to join a communitarian work organized by a group of socially-conscious lecturers at a public university in Cambodia. It was helpful to the target communities and very meaningful to me. I strongly believe his proposed civic activities can work. All it needs, first, is to turn outright criticism into action, unless you really think you can criticize and turn "Excellencies" and "Advisers", who never bother to read yours, into somebodies good. I cheer the author for his great idea and hope to see and will support his greater initiative put into action. May Buddha bless the learned and the common in Cambodia.
It is a good idear but can it apply under Hun Xen leadership! of corruption, unjust, dictatorship, and suppress the freedome of speach!
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