Education and Fragility in Cambodia by UNESCO and IIEP

http://www.box.com/s/7fcd3e813e24530470a1

Khmer educator makes difference

Muoy You of the Seametrey School

Nov. 16, 2011
A. Gaffar Peang-Meth
PACIFIC DAILY NEWS

A person can store a million facts in his or her head, but it's not what one knows but how one thinks (to compare, relate, analyze for purpose of understanding) that determines the quality of everything one does, the quality of one's future, and the future of one's country.

One Khmer woman who grew up poor in "a squatter's shack in Phnom Penh," with a father who repaired bicycles for a living and a mother who was "an illiterate street vendor," won a scholarship to study in France in 1972. She intended to return to Cambodia to help rebuild her homeland.

Politics interrupted that plan. Though Cambodia fell to the communist Khmer Rouge in 1975, she still wanted to return to help, and she applied for a Khmer Rouge passport. By the time the passport arrived, she was too far along in a pregnancy to fly. While her Khmer friends left for Phnom Penh, she was stuck in Paris.

After the Khmer Rouge regime collapsed in 1979, she found out her parents and her siblings had died, along with 2 million others.

Press Release: CITA and World Bank singing the same song

Putting a premium on education in Cambodia

Labor costs in Cambodia are cheaper than China, Vietnam or Thailand. That has helped foreign companies like U.S. stuffed toy maker "First & Main" stay profitable, but the biggest challenge for many businesses is finding an educated workforce for more skilled jobs.

Can Cambodia’s education system keep pace with the ambitions of businesses and investors and continue to foster a growing middle class?

Opinion: Tackling the literacy crisis

A concerted effort is needed to address the alarmingly low level of functional literacy in Cambodia, particularly among disadvantaged sections of the population. Photo by: DEREK STOUT

Thursday, 08 September 2011
Anne Lemaistre and Olivier Lermet
The Phnom Penh Post

Opinion

LITERACY is an essential key to achieving Cambodia’s development goals. It’s difficult to imagine working effectively towards a basic education for all, the eradication of poverty, and peaceful and sustainable development without Cambodians having this vital tool to receive and impart information.

International Literacy Day, celebrated on September 8 each year, provides a good opportunity to assess progress towards the provision of literacy opportunities for all and the challenges that lie ahead.

This year, the global theme is Literacy for Peace and, in Cambodia, the government has decided to highlight the importance of literacy in addressing a specific development issue: combating drug abuse.

Improving literacy in Cambodia is essential, because literacy equips citizens with the skills and confidence to seek out essential information and make informed choices that have a direct impact on their families and communities.

Parents Say Poor Education Aiding Illiteracy

Two young Cambodian boys play near their slum home on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. (Photo: AP)

Wednesday, 31 August 2011
Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh

“We illiterate, it’s like we have blind eyes, and we don’t make any progress like the literates.”

Van La is a rice farmer in Kampong Speu province’s Udong district. Like many Cambodians, she is illiterate. And while she hopes her children will not suffer the same fate, many parents and educational professionals fear that Cambodia’s education system may fail her.

“We face difficulties,” she said as she worked at planting rice seedlings on a recent day. “We illiterate, it’s like we have blind eyes, and we don’t make any progress like the literates.”

Government statistics show that 70 percent of the population is somewhat literate, but development experts say that a poor education environment and other factors are hurting the country’s progress.

Van La said she was determined to send her children to school, so that they might learn to read and write and better their futures, but she could still face an uphill struggle.

Cambodia Facing Ongoing Literacy Challenges

Visitors watch as Cambodian orphans learn computer skills and exploring the Internet world during the opening ceremony at the Future Light Orphanage on the outskirt of Phnom Penh (AP file photo)

Friday, 26 August 2011
Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh

“Cambodian students must get an education, and the first education is literacy.”

Cambodia’s literacy has improved over the past decade, but key challenges remain for girls, the rural poor and minorities, education experts say.

According to government figures, the literacy rate stands at about 70 percent. But that may only be basic literacy, where another ability, functional literacy, is harder to define.

Still, education experts say that still leaves 30 percent of the population without the ability to read or write, though that percentage could improve as the younger generation goes through school to learn to read and write.

Ministry of Education officials say they count a total enrollment of 3.2 million students, with about 607,000 in urban areas and more than 2.5 million in rural areas.

Lack of Research Among Academics a ‘Problem’: Lecturer

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.

A look at the future of Cambodia's youth and education

Friday, August 26, 2011
A. Gaffar Peang-Meth
Asian Human Rights Commission

"Many people talk more about Vietnamese immigrants flooding into Cambodia than about Vietnamese products flowing freely into the country and becoming much sought after as they are cheaper than Khmer products"

In this discussion on youth, education, and Cambodia's future, topics in vogue today, I would like to introduce some brief theoretical concepts about perceptions and reality; follow with what some regular Cambodians (whom I have not met) write; and examine some observations and survey results by several organizations. My purpose is to provoke discussion about the present situation in Cambodia.

Perception and Reality

Our unique political socialization; the information we've acquired; our cognition, experiences, values and beliefs acquired from different sources, do influence our perceptions and cause us to evaluate the same experiences differently from one another.

From childhood to adulthood and to the end of our lives, we never stop learning. As a child we learn from our parents and those dearest to us. As we go to school, we learn from our teachers and from books. As we grow up, friends and peers, and our surrounding, influence our behavior. I never understood what my father meant when he told me endlessly as I was growing up, "Live with cow, sleep like cow. Live with parrot, sleep like parrot." In college, I learned that political socialization shapes and molds our characters.

Our values and beliefs are learned. The newspaper we choose to read, the magazines on our coffee tables, the books we read and television shows we watch; the job we hold; the special events we encounter, all contribute to molding our personality. Some of us are unconscious of our learning.

Two quotes I like: "Learning without thought is labor lost," said Chinese teacher Confucius (551 BC-479 BC); and American futurist Alvin Toffler's assertion that the "illiterate" of the 21st century will be "those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn."

Right to Education in Cambodia

Bunkhean Chhun speech during the 20th Anniversary of Paris Peace Agreement at NSW University,Faculty of Law, Sydney.5-6 Aug 2011.

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, my name is Bunkhean Chhun. I’m a high school teacher from Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. I’m honoured to speak to you today. This is my first trip to Sydney. It is a vibrant city. I wish winter in Minnesota was like here, sunny and 20 degree. My topic today is the “Right to Education in Cambodia”

The Cambodian Constitution from 1993 states in Article 65 that:

The State shall protect and upgrade citizens' rights to quality education at all levels and shall take necessary steps for quality education to reach all citizens.

The State shall respect physical education and sports for the welfare of all Khmer citizens.

Does the Cambodian Government live up to what they pledged?

This afternoon we will look at some facts on why the Cambodian government failed to provide a quality education to Cambodian students.

First, a shortage of schools and classrooms, particularly in rural areas, limit the number of children who have access to a basic education.

Although most Cambodian villages have a primary school, many schools are still incomplete, meaning they do not offer a full grade 1-6 curriculum. Getting to a school where students can complete upper primary grades may mean traveling far distances from home, which is not always possible.

Hun Sen's Successful First Day

26 July 2011

KI-Media Note: We apologize for wrongly attributing the following comment to Mr. Bora Touch.  Our apologies to Lok Botra Touch for the inconvenience.

If the PM’s praise for RFI, while attacking VOA and RFA for cheating and distorting facts, is justified, the following RFI report helps clarify a few issues being discussed. Highlights in the report are entirely mine.

1. The youth creativity has improved. In addition to divine interventions they have been calling for, they are so pragmatic they take actions to pass their exams with whatever means made available to them besides hard work. Thus they work smart.
2. Teachers also work smart. They can earn so much incomes and their job of marking exam papers is easy as they are all right.
3. The youth is skilful and is so certified, which explains why the Japanese investors are having a hard time finding unskilled workers.

With such creativity, skilful workforce, and work smart mentality, Cambodia can certainly look forward to a great future.

RFI កម្ពុជា -

អត្ថបទចុះ​ផ្សាយ​នៅ​ថ្ងៃ ចន្ទ 25 កក្កដា 2011 - ព័ត៌មានទើប​កែប្រើ​លើកចុងក្រោយ​ ថ្ងៃ ចន្ទ 25 កក្កដា 2011

ប្រឡងបាក់ឌុប ថ្ងៃទី១ បញ្ចប់​ដោយ​ការទិញ​វិញ្ញាសា និង​ចម្លង​ដោយ​សេរី

ទិដ្ឋភាពនៅមណ្ឌលប្រឡងបាក់ឌុប នៅ​សាលា​បឹងត្របែក
RFI/ចាន់ណា

ដោយ លី ម៉េងហួរ

បេក្ខជន​ជាង ១ សែន​នាក់ បាន​ចូលរួម​ប្រឡង​សញ្ញាប័ត្រ​មធ្យមសិក្សា​ទុតិយភូមិ ឬ​ប្រឡង​បាក់​ឌុប ក្នុង​រយៈពេល​ពីរ​ថ្ងៃ និង​មួយ​ព្រឹក ដោយ​ចាប់ផ្តើម​នៅ​ថ្ងៃ​ច័ន្ទ ទី​២៥​កក្កដា​នេះ​។ សម្រាប់​ថ្ងៃ​ប្រឡង​ទី​១ នៅ​ថ្ងៃ​ច័ន្ទ​នេះ បាន​បញ្ចប់​ដោយ​បេក្ខជន​ទិញ​វិញ្ញាសា ដែល​បែកធ្លាយ​, រៃ​អង្គាស​លុយ​សម្រាប់​អនុរក្ស និង​មេ​ប្រយោគ ដើម្បី​អាច​បើក​ចម្លង​បាន​ដោយ​សេរី ក្នុង​បន្ទប់​ប្រឡង​។

ទិដ្ឋភាព​នៅ​មណ្ឌល​ប្រឡង​បាក់​ឌុប​ឆ្នាំនេះ គ្មាន​អ្វី​ប្រសើរ​ជាង​ឆ្នាំ​កន្លង​ទៅ​ទេ​។ នោះ​គឺ​បេក្ខជន​ទិញ​វិញ្ញាសា​ដែល​បែកធ្លាយ​, បេក្ខជន​រៃអង្គាសប្រាក់ឲ្យ​មេ​ប្រយោគ និង​អនុរក្ស ដើម្បី​បើក​ចម្លង​ប្រ៊ី​យ៉ុង​ដោយ​សេរី ក្នុង​បន្ទប់​ប្រឡង​។ នេះ​បើ​តាម​ការកត់សម្គាល់រ​បស់​សមាគម​គ្រូបង្រៀន​កម្ពុជា​ឯករាជ្យ​។

លោក ម៉ៃ សុ​ភក្ត្រា លេខាធិការ​អចិន្ត្រៃយ៍​របស់​សមាគម​គ្រូបង្រៀន​កម្ពុជា​ឯករាជ្យ បាន​លើកឡើង​ថា នៅ​មណ្ឌល​ប្រឡង​វិទ្យាល័យ​ព្រះ​យុគន្ធរ​ក្នុង​ទីក្រុង​ភ្នំពេញ បេក្ខជន​បាន​ហៅ​ទូរស័ព្ទ​ពី​បន្ទប់​ប្រឡង ចេញមកក្រៅ ដើម្បី​ធ្វើ​វិញ្ញាសា​គីមីវិទ្យា ក្នុងសម័យ​ប្រឡង​នៅ​ថ្ងៃ​ដំបូង នា​ព្រឹក​ថ្ងៃ​ច័ន្ទ​នេះ​។ ដោយឡែក​នៅ​ឯ​មណ្ឌល​ប្រឡង​វិទ្យាល័យ​សេរីភាព នៅ​ខេត្ត​កណ្តាល​វិញ បេក្ខជន​បាន​ប្រមូល​លុយ​ឲ្យ​អនុរក្ស និង​មេ​ប្រយោគ​តាម​បន្ទប់ ដើម្បី​បាន​បើក​ចម្លង​ដោយ​រលូន​។

ការ​បែកធ្លាយ​វិញ្ញាសា​មុនពេល​ចូល​ប្រឡង ក៏​ត្រូវ​បាន​ផ្អើល​ឡើង​ផងដែរ​។ បេក្ខជន​មួយ​ចំនួន នៅ​ភ្នំពេញ ចំណាយលុយ​ពី ២០ ទៅ​៣០ ដុល្លារ ដើម្បី​ទិញ​សំណៅ​វិញ្ញាសា​មួយ​មុខ​វិជ្ជា​ពីមិត្តភក្តិ និង​ពី​ហាង​ថតចម្លង​មួយចំនួន​។ វិញ្ញាសា​ទាំងនោះ ក៏​ត្រូវបាន​គេ​ឈរ​លក់​នៅ​តាម​សួនច្បារ មុខ​គណៈរដ្ឋមន្ត្រី កាលពី​ព្រឹក​ព្រលឹម​ស្រាងៗ ថ្ងៃ​នេះ​ផង​ដែរ​។

Cambodia’s progress in basic education by UK's Overseas Development Institute (ODI)

Source: http://www.developmentprogress.org/progress-stories/cambodia%E2%80%99s-progress-basic-education

A long process of reconstruction, following genocide and years of instability and civil war, has resulted in substantial progress in Cambodia’s education system. Almost all children are now entering school, and far more than before are completing primary. The gender gap in primary and lower secondary has effectively been closed. The rate of improvement has been most notable among girls, in rural and remote areas and among lower income quintiles.

Reconstruction in Cambodia was initially characterised by high levels of political conflict and fragility. Since then, the government has worked with development partners to create more functional and effective sector-wide administration and planning, paired with expanded supply-side investments. Several highly innovative local and international NGOs have worked with the most marginalised to improve the quality and relevance of education, fostering community participation and social capital to expand access to the poorest. Education NGOs are now also more integrated into sector planning.

High levels of corruption and low institutional capacity constrain further progress in education. Dropout rates remain high, and low levels of education quality need to be addressed. Meanwhile, efforts to improve incentive structures in educational governance are progressing only gradually. Achieving the MDGs and Education for All (EFA) goals will require substantial further reforms.

ODI - Cambodia Report - Master
http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/58140197?access_key=key-2g704r41b3lveu8hp62v

ODI - Cambodia Education - Summary Case Study
http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/58140247?access_key=key-jh2f4dkdxgmjhet9szb

The State of Cambodian Reading

Sunday, June 5, 2011
By Chanda C.
Originally posted at http://cambodianchildren.blogspot.com/

3rd Grade Reading (Video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLm1rksMawU&feature=youtu.be

This is the story of an accidental discovery. Though I am not a researcher by any shape or form, this discovery was compelling enough that it merits, I think, sharing with the Cambodian public at large.

Starting almost a decade ago, I, in collaboration with some of my friends, have worked on creating reading books for Cambodian children. We divided the books into three volumes. As each volume was completed, I would go to Cambodia, publish it, and distribute it to poor children. In 2008, I distributed some books to a group of poor children living near my aunt’s house. Due to limited number of books, I gave the books to only those children who could read. The ones who could not read yet had to wait for next time. However, one courageous boy, who had just begun learning in the first grade, came up to me and asked if he could have a book to keep with him so that when he was able to read he would learn to read that book. Unable to turn down his request, I decided to give that boy a book and hope that he would keep his promise.

Earlier this year, after getting the final volume of the children’s books published, I went to visit my aunt’s home again and sought out that boy to whom I had given a book 3 years ago. He is in the third grade now. I told him that I had some new books that I would like to give him and his friends if he would mind going around asking them to come to receive the books. The boy went around the neighborhood and found a few of his friends to come and receive the books. As a way to test the children’s ability to read, I decided to ask each child to read me a story while I am recording them on my digital camera. As I was listening to the children’s reading one after another, I noticed that their reading ability varied greatly. As it is evidence in the video clip above, the boy (wearing red vest) to whom I gave a book 3 years ago could read very well while his classmates were performing rather poorly. I know this is a very small sample of subjects on which to conduct a study, but the finding has nevertheless given us an indication on how much difference supplemental reading books could make. I hope that this finding would generate some interests among Cambodian researchers to conduct a more systemic study to see how great an impact supplemental reading has on children’s ability to read. 

6th Grade's Reading

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap9s7ctOgWo&feature=youtu.be

Survey Finds Little Optimism Among Teachers

The annual survey by the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association, which questioned 726 teachers across 17 provinces, also found a majority who believed the education system has “no quality.” (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Monday, 09 May 2011

“The quality of education in Cambodia has reached a low-level alert.”

A survey by a teacher’s association has found a high degree of pessimism among the country’s educators, with nearly half saying they believe the education system in Cambodia has not developed at all.

The annual survey by the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association, which questioned 726 teachers across 17 provinces, also found a majority who believed the education system has “no quality.”

That number, 39.5 percent, was lower than the 45.5 percent who said they thought the country had not developed at all. About 14 percent of those surveyed said the sector had shown some development.

“We are very worried about the quality of education in Cambodia,” said Rong Chhun, president of the association. “The quality of education in Cambodia has reached a low-level alert.”

Internal Report on the CITA National Survey 2011

Internal Report on the CITA National Survey 2011

http://www.scribd.com/full/54982253?access_key=key-2aqlzdhhll2n5krpess1

CITA's National Survey Results on Education

CITA's National Survey Results on Education
http://www.scribd.com/full/54982120?access_key=key-2hixyeclakqahy3yialu

Educated are Cambodia's 'critical mass'

April 20, 2011
A. Gaffar Peang-Meth
PACIFIC DAILY NEWS

Even if the Hun Sen regime returned all the dollars from theft of national resources to the education pot, it would take a long, long time before young Cambodians' secondary school net enrollment would move from the current dismal 34 percent of eligible students to even 80 percent, which might be the percentage that would create the catalyst to foment meaningful change.

My email box has been flooded with messages. Some made me smile. Two hard-hitting messages from Cambodia made me look for some spiritual balance. A friend from a different continent who used to discuss with me the value of education wrote, after reading my columns, about the necessary "critical mass" needed to catalyze change.

I combined all three messages to writing this column.

It's no revelation that if we want to look for something in a person or a regime, negative or positive, we can find it. And we can be sure that there are supporters and critics of any position: A thesis is followed by antithesis. Opposites are a fact of life -- the yin and the yang

I have written about alleged bribes demanded by instructors at Cambodia's universities, but an email from a reader in Cambodia, most likely from a teaching circle, reported also on corrupt practices among primary and secondary school teachers in his area. The writer reported that teachers extort money from students in return for one thing or another. The reader was livid, saying the "authorities concerned" know but do nothing: "I fear if these practices are ingrained in the culture of corruption, the young Cambodian generation will be severely affected in thoughts and behaviors."

Cambodian future seems bleak

April 6, 2011
A. Gaffar Peang-Meth
PACIFIC DAILY NEWS

I had begun writing on a different topic for today's column. On Jan. 21, the U.S.-based International Republican Institute released the results of a survey that said 76 percent of Cambodians are satisfied with the direction of the country, citing infrastructure improvements such as roads, bridges, buildings and schools, and 23 percent say it is headed in the wrong direction, citing corruption, unemployment, poverty and inflation.

Statistics are awesome. They can be made to say many things. They are numbers with no feeling. Only real people laugh and cry. Elite kids spend $2,000 drinking at a nightclub, others scavenge city dumps for food. Functionaries write checks for $50,000 like it's nothing while some citizens, evicted from their only homes, are beaten by police.

During a coffee break, I read the March 28 New York Times "Tools for Thinking" by David Brooks. A day after, Brooks' "More Tools for Thinking" appeared. Then, an email arrived from Phnom Penh. The writer read my column, "Young Khmers key to the future," and said I hit the nail on the head. He described the country's "visible hardware" -- buildings -- everywhere, bemoaned its lack of the much needed "software" -- informed critical thinkers. A strong culture of suspicion and mistrust will "cripple society even deeper into a passive coma," he said.

"Even many of the young are now in this unfortunate trend," he wrote.

CITA's Letter to H.E, Mr. Surya Subedi, UN Special Envoy for Human Rigths in Cambodia

School Year Begins, With Struggling Teachers Absent

Young students in Cambodia (Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Cheng Lita, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Friday, 08 October 2010

“If we cannot fill our stomachs, we can't stay focused on our work. I don't know what the government really thinks. But we don't dare ask for an increase in salary. We just like teaching for the sake of teaching.”

Banoy primary school sits on a bumpy road about 50 kilometers from Takeo town, the provincial capital. A ringing bell means the end of class, and schoolboys and schoolgirls on a recent afternoon filtered out of the school and began heading home.

October marks the beginning of a new school year, but students interviewed recently in Takeo say they lack teachers. Their teachers are also farmers or market vendors, supplementing their incomes with outside work that keeps them out of the classroom.

Peang Khyang, the co-director of the school, walked nearby with an old, grey bicycle. He said teachers here have a hard time making ends meet.

“If we cannot fill our stomachs, we can't stay focused on our work,” he said. “I don't know what the government really thinks. But we don't dare ask for an increase in salary. We just like teaching for the sake of teaching.”

Teachers currently make different monthly salaries according to the level of school they are in: 100,000 riel, or $20, for primary, $50 for secondary and $70 for high school.

Peang Khyang said a teacher needs between $200 and $300 a month to maintain a decent standard of living. (By comparison, garment factory workers are currently fighting for incomes of about $90 per month, up from $61.)

On Oct. 5, which is International Teacher's Day, the Independent Teachers Association announced it wanted a raise for educators to $250 per month. They had planned a march for Oct. 6, but local authorities prevented it.

“The main problem of teachers in the matter of making a living,” said Rong Chhun, president of the association, which has made repeated requests for salary increases over the years.

Thong Boran, director general of finance for the Ministry of Education, said the request by the teacher's association did not follow the government's plan for teacher salaries.

“We work following a strategy and plan,” he said. “Rong Chhun is different.”