Chinese Schools a Hit in Cambodia

A Chinese school in Phnom Penh, July 20, 2009.

As trade and tourism links with China grow, more Cambodians are seeking Chinese-language education.

2012-04-25

Radio Free Asia

Chinese schools are booming in Cambodia, locals say, as parents seek a leg up for their children amid growing business opportunities with China, the country’s largest trading partner and major aid provider.

More Cambodian parents are sending their children to be educated in Chinese because they see it as a key language for business in Cambodia’s future, said Chea Chengkhun, the principal of a Chinese school in Phnom Penh.

“The language will help to develop this country. It will also help our economy. We will have better living standards because we know Chinese,” he said.

He said Chinese schools like his are becoming popular and there are now about 70 to 80 nationwide, with 50 to a few hundred students each.

Chinese language skills seen as gateway to better job in ... Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, June 13 (Xinhua) -- While English remains the most popular foreign language among students in Cambodia, Chinese is fast catching up as young Khmers increasingly view it as a gateway to better jobs in the country's growing industrial and tourism sectors, according to the June 13-26 edition of the English-language bi-weekly the Phnom Penh Post.

The biggest Chinese school in Cambodia is the Duan Hoa Chinese School, which has two branches in Phnom Penh and over 7,000 students, the newspaper said.

The school has been open since 1992 and caters mainly to Chinese students, although some Cambodians and Vietnamese also study there, said administration manager Kim Hean.

"Often, students are trying to learn Chinese so they can join the families business or find work in a private company, especially working in factories or in the tourism industry as many Chinese investors are coming to Cambodia now," Kim Hean was quoted as saying.

China has emerged as one of Cambodia's largest investment partners, and is heavily involved not only in the garment sector, but construction and other industries.

"I learn Chinese because I saw how many Chinese companies and factories there are in Cambodia and I want to be able to work at these places," said Chea Sokbouy, who is now studying in Grade 11 at Duan Hoa.

Another Chinese language school, the Chhung Cheng Chinese School, is popular with Chinese-Khmer families, said the deputy director of the school, ChanTirin.

Of the 2,000 pupils at Chhung Cheng, most come from Chinese or Chinese-Khmer families who, while continuing to study in Cambodian state-run schools, realize the value in today's society of speaking two languages.

Tirin said that preserving the Chinese language in Cambodia was an important motivation for many students, but securing a high-paying job also remained a driving force for learning Chinese.

Besides, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen set to sign a sub-decree that will put the Chinese language on the national curriculum at university level, undersecretary of state at the Ministry of Education Chea Se said.

[In Cambodia,] Chinese rivals English for usefulness

05/05/2007
By Greg Mellen, Staff writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (Calif., USA)

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - While Progressive United Action Association labors to bring English to the Cambodian people, the feeling is not unanimous that English is the most valuable language skill to have.

Douglas Gardner, the head of the United Nations Development Program in Cambodia, is an American, but he floats a very un-American idea. He suggests Cambodian children might benefit more by learning the language of a neighbor.

"As it gets into trade and the global economy, Cambodia is in a subregion where China exerts enormous influence," Gardner said. "It's no longer just English. As we look to the future, English and Chinese are primary."

Kol Pheng, senior minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, agrees that Chinese is important and he favors it being taught in college.

He would like to see more Chinese offered by non-governmental organizations but predicts that because many of the groups are funded by Americans, they may not want to spend to teach a language other than English.

Another player in the mix is France.

Because Cambodia was a French colony until the 1950s and adopted the French education model until the Khmer Rouge uprising, much of Cambodia's educated population still speaks French and the language remains strong in the country.

Tippana Tith is a Cambodian activist who lives in Long Beach but often travels back to his home country. He favors expansion of English teaching in Cambodia but says he sees France trying to re-exert influence in the region and worries that their efforts are being bolstered by French-educated political leaders such as Sam Rainsy, leader of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party.

Pheng, however, says English remains the focus of the government's efforts to expand literacy in second languages. He says students are required to begin taking English in fifth and sixth grades, but their exposure is minimal.