A disconcerting silence in Cambodia

Aug 16, 2012
By Ryan Paine
Asia Times Online
SPEAKING FREELY

If only freedom of assembly were allowed and freedom of thought were encouraged by the country's elders - surely then we would see a hefty part of the population coming round to the conclusion that institutionalized violence and oppression advancing private commercial interests is really not cool.

When I arrived in Phnom Penh on the first night of Khmer New Year, I expected I would find more than a few small fireworks and a Ferris wheel. Assuming it was temporary, set up for the festivities, I had to get on it before it disappeared or fell down. In the end I didn't rush because I found out it's permanent. When I did finally have a ride, it sucked: too slow, only one revolution, and covered in garish advertising. I did win a toy that night though.

I also expected to find more media and publishing when I arrived here to work with a literary association, but it turns out the scene here is much like the streets were that night: quiet, and still quite dangerous. There was no Ferris wheel though - no place to go for a concise overview of modern Cambodian literature.

Of course I knew I was coming to work in a media industry where freedom of expression is not taken for granted the way it is at home in Australia. However, I hadn't expected the gaping holes in publishing infrastructure created as a result of this freedom being so limited. It's a self-perpetuating situation that leaves a disconcerting silence in the capital, but also a huge opportunity for the development of literary literacy and the improvement of the human condition this promotes.

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.

Reading among Khmer people - Op-Ed by James Sok

http://www.box.net/shared/16019loqovxhu6t8x3av

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.

So many schools with ... highly underpaid teachers and the highest adult literacy rate in SE Asia

Cambodia proud with increase of educational institutions

May 11, 2010
Xinhua

While the census showed the adult literacy rate has shown a fairly good increase during 1998-2008, Cambodia is the lowest in the Southeast Asia region after Laos.

Cambodia has recorded a large increase of educational institutions at all level across the country, the government report showed Tuesday.

In the report filed by Ministry of Education said up to date, there are 11, 706 educational institutions or schools and as many as 3,471,867 students are enjoying their education.

The report said, of the total figure, there are 3,410 kindergartens with 186,086 school children, 6,664 primary schools with 2,239,794 students, 1,172 junior high schools with 585,151 students, 383 senior high schools with 323,583 students, and 77 higher educational institutions with 137,253 students.

Cambodia's education has been increased year by year due to the country's development in all fields.

Last year, Cambodia's new census showed that literacy rate in the country was impressively risen over the past ten years.

The census results received showed that "the number of literate population aged 7 and more in the country has spectacular risen from about 5.78 million to 8.96 million during the ten-year period, registering a decadal growth rate of nearly 55 percent as against the population growth rate of about 17 percent."

It said the general population literacy rate, which is the percentage of literate population to total population aged 7 and more, has increased from 62.80 in 1998 to 78.35 in 2008.

The urban literacy level has increased from 78.51 to 90.17 percent and the rural literacy rate has gone up from 59.07 percent to 75.33 percent.

While the census showed the adult literacy rate has shown a fairly good increase during 1998-2008, Cambodia is the lowest in the Southeast Asia region after Laos.

It is also observed that the number of children aged 6 and more attending school or educational institution have increased from 36.27 percent during 1998-2008, but the proportion of females attending school continues to be less than the corresponding proportion for males both in the urban and rural areas.

The 2008 population census results showed that the Cambodian population has increased by 1.96 million over the last 10 years from 11.4 million in 1998 to 13.4 million in 2008.

Former Microsoft exec devotes life to literacy

Wed. Oct. 17 2007
Constance Droganes,
entertainment writer,
CTV.ca

It's not every day that a fast-tracking executive dumps a lucrative career. Yet Microsoft high-flyer John Wood did just that in 2000 so he could dedicate his life to ending illiteracy around the world.

"I was the imperfect person to do this, but I stepped in because I got really annoyed," says Wood.

In 1998, Microsoft's 35-year-old Director of Business Development for the Greater China Region took a vacation that changed his life. Trekking through a remote Himalayan village, he was invited by a local teacher to visit their school. Wood was shocked to see the school's 20 tattered books were locked away to protect them from the students.

"It was an experience I'll never forget," says Wood, who founded the award-winning, non-profit organization Room to Read (www.roomtoread.org) to give the world's children the lifelong gift of education.

"The fact is almost one billion people are illiterate in the world," says Wood. "That trip opened my eyes. I saw that we weren't doing enough to combat the problem and every day we did nothing was a day lost. We were missing the boat -- and the opportunity to help educate the poorest of children when their developing brains are most receptive."

Since Room to Read's inception in 2000, 1.3 million in kids in Vietnam, Laos, India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Zambia now have access to enhanced education infrastructure. Wood's initiative has also opened 287 schools, established over 3,800 bilingual libraries, created 136 new computer and language rooms, funded long-term scholarships for 3,448 girls and put more than three million books into the hands of eager young readers.

Even former U.S. President Bill Clinton is supporting Room to Read's platform, as is talk show titan Oprah Winfrey, who invited Wood to her show in February of 2007.

"People ask me a lot about being on Oprah," Wood smiles. "I was thrilled to have the opportunity to be on her show and promote our cause. But celebrity isn't all there is to this initiative. It's about real people doing extraordinary things. That's where the real power lies in Room to Read."

As Wood says, "Education is the ticket out of poverty. Who hasn't had one relative in their family that broke the cycle of poverty by betting educated?"

With thousands of village anxious to work with Room to Read, Wood says, "We have great local teams. We also have an amazing local language children publishing program where local artists create children's books. But it all comes down to continuing the scale of the work we're doing."

On October 19th, the Toronto chapter of Room to Read will host "An Evening with John Wood" (6:30 pm - 8:30 pm) at the RBC Plaza. The city's inaugural Room to Read event, "A Novel Affair," took place in December of 2006.

David Pullara, Room to Read's current Toronto Chair, first heard about the organization at a presentation Wood made to the Starbucks Coffee Corporation. Noting that Toronto was not highlighted on Wood's map of fundraising chapters, Pullara took up challenge to add Toronto to the list.

"Waving that challenge in front of David was like waving a red flag in front of a bull," says Wood. Thanks to Pullara and his team's efforts, Toronto's inaugural event raised $28,936.29 CDN for Room to Read. The proceeds helped build a school in Nepal and provide full scholarships to five Nepalese girls.

"We've got a few surprises planned for this year's event," says Wood. "One thing I can tell you is that one wealthy Canadian entrepreneur has promised to match the figure raised in Toronto. It will be at least six figures, and that's money that will help change a lot of kids' lives."