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| Peou Chivoin, a lecturer of media theory and research at the Royal University of Phnom Penh. (Photo: by Heng Reaksmey) |
Friday, 26 August 2011
Say Mony, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh
"In much of Cambodian academics, the focus is on teaching, but not on research."
Cambodia’s higher education would do well to include more research and critical thinking demands on its professors, a university lecturer said Thursday.
“When [academics] do research, it is like they are exercising and it requires them to think critically, thus boosting the overall quality of their abilities and work,” said Peou Chivoin, a lecturer of media theory and research at the Royal University of Phnom Penh. “When people conduct research, they get to know social phenomena and try to determine problems that arise and come up with solutions.”
In much of Cambodian academics, the focus is on teaching, but not on research, he said.
Peou Chivoin is a Fulbright scholar and a PhD candidate of sociology at the University of Melbourne, Australia.
“At universities in developed countries like the US, Australia or Singapore, they have already turned primarily to research,” he said. “That means professors have their own research projects and try to publish their work, whereas Cambodian professors only teach.”
Not only are they not researching, he said, but Cambodian lecturers and professors work more than one job, thanks to pitifully low salaries. That creates a problem, because research would mean less time spent earning money.
Government subsidies could help, but no such support currently exists. A lucky few are able to take on research through the funding of grants or other outside help.
The problem is then passed on to the pupils, he said.
“When most professors do not do research themselves, it’s a problem when they lead their students to do research,” he said. “So there must be strengthened institutions to ensure more attention is paid to research.”
8 comments:
Not sure of what this guy has been talking about! He is not great at all.
4:58
You're the prime example of someone who needs critical thinking!
good observation by this author. it's good to evaluate cambodian teachers, etc. they all need to instill in them some paradigm shift, even in their teaching method to include more research, either practical or on paper, etc... and of course, critical think 101 should be in the general education cirriculum as requirement for graduation, etc! if lack of idea, study from the american college systems and universities system. cambodia needs reforms even in the college system, you know!
it is good for someone to point it out or see it as lacking and call for to do something to reform the old system, you know! i guess people were too busy fighting in politics that they forget that there are more to cambodia than just some political discord, etc, really! wake up, people, don't be stupid or blinded forever, ok!
this is how changes started, all it takes is for someone influential to see it and do something about it to change it, you know! good thing comes in small packages, really! god bless cambodia always.
Peou Chivoin,
Thanks for point this out. I hope your colleague will find this an envaluable and to give more value to research and development in the cademic areas.
Keep up your good work Chivoin. And bring your colleague on board!
Best.
Peou Chivoin,
as academic I accept with Peou Chivoin.The West European universities have never accept the academic degrees from private or state universities.After mostly 18 months then they were accepted.
i think it's about competitiveness!
Other professors are not stupid. They may have already got the same idea and have thoroughly thought about it, except that there is no money to go around to support such a project.
Someone has to pay them enougn salary and provide funding to sustain such a project.
The money never filters down the tube in enough quantity from government ministers to even pay a proper or decent salary for a elimentary teacher much less to sustain a costly research.
Every teacher has to have a second job to help feed the family if he or she is not corrupt!
The message should be given to the council of ministers to ponder and to see if they would take less for themselves from now on so more money can be available for such honorable research.
It is good for Peou Chivon to remind everyone though. When he comes back to Cambodia, though he has great ideas, he will realize right away that his ideas will be constrained by lack of good vision on the part of the government!
Corruption is what slows everything down!
Imagine the teacher's salary of $80.00 or so a month and you will realize that most of the teachers who continue to teach do so out of their love for their profession and country!
Too much money is in the hand of a few visionless idiots!
Pissed off
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