People in my village work as unskilled laborers abroad

It's gloomy for me to see the youths commonly known as future citizens of the once Khmer Empire that ruled Southeast Asia seeking jobs as unskilled laborers abroad.

Ou Ritthy

July, 4, 2012
An article by Ou Ritthy published by the Asian Human Rights Commission

At first, I could not recognize the group of noisy skinny youths, about 20 in all, with dyed hair, ragged jeans and colorful shirts, drinking beer in this remote village in Pursat where I live. Their clothes and behaviors tell me they are not from the village. I thought they must be friends or relatives of some villagers. Normally, villagers here wear Kroma (scarf), or pants with or without shirts.

Then someone in the group shouted to me to join the group to drink. As I walked closer to them I realized they were all my friends. We used to tender cattle together in the last ten years.

They told me that they had been drinking beer since the early morning; they were proud of their capacity to consume alcohol. One of them complained that it's now hard to find and buy the popular and affordable Leo and Change beers, both Thai products, which were out of stock in Pursat during this Khmer New Year.

They told me they never had so much fun together; for these three whole days of the New Year, they confessed, each had already spent 200,000 riels ($50) to enjoy themselves, to buy and drink beer and home-made alcohol (the popular SraSor the people in Pursat love), dance to loud music through the night, and gamble (card games and KlaKlok). They were celebrating as they and their family members had just returned from work in Thailand.

I also met some villagers who could not pay for their entertainment during the New Year. They had not earned enough money. Worse, some were arrested and jailed in Thailand for a few months for working illegally. A few people who were injured in work accidents in Thailand became disable, and had not been able to help their parents in the rice-field. Sadly, their parents had to sell land for their medical treatment. And I met a villager, near death, who was very sick and skinny as she contracted AIDS/HIV while working at the border.

Ensuring quality education for children with disabilities in Cambodia

Soun Vanna, 13, is in grade six at Wath Prasat School. She is partially deaf and has found it difficult to keep studying this year. (UNICEF Cambodia/2011/Bona Khoy)

By Bona Khoy and Carly Witheridge
UNICEF

PREY VENG PROVINCE, Cambodia, 4 November 2011 – Soun Vanna, 13, sits quietly amongst her classmates while she completes the morning’s assignment. Partially deaf, Vanna attends classes like any other child, receiving support and encouragement from her teachers at Wath Prasat School.

Equal education

Currently, there are over 300 children living with disabilities in Prey Veng’s Kampong Trabek district, and 16 of them, like Vanna, attend Wath Prasat School, studying right alongside their non-disabled classmates.

“I have difficulty hearing what my teacher explains,” said Soun Vanna, who is now studying in grade six. “I feel uncomfortable when the teacher takes more time to explain things to me as it means the other students have to wait.”

Children of the poor will always lose out children of the powerful and wealthy due to the education system

គ្រួសារ​អ្នកក្រីក្រ​ដែលគ្មាន​ជម្រើស​នៅតែ​បន្ត​បញ្ជូន​កូន​ទៅ​សាលារដ្ឋ (ស៊ីវ​ ចាន់ណា)

កូនអ្នកក្រ​ចាញ់ប្រៀបកូន​អ្នកមាន​និង​កូនអ្នកធំ​ដោយសារ​ប្រពន្ធ័អប់រំ​

ពុធ 26 តុលា 2011
ដោយ ប៉ែន បូណ
Radio France Internationale
ទស្សនៈព្រឹត្តិការណ៍នយោបាយខ្មែរ

Synopsis: Public education in Cambodia is of low quality and its deficiency goes all the way from maternal to high school classes. Currently, those who are well to do and who have the means send their children to private schools in order to receive proper education that is better than that in public schools. Furthermore, classrooms in private schools are more comfortable than those in public schools. For the poor who have no other choice, they have to continue sending their children to public schools. Under this condition, children of the poor cannot free themselves from the grip of poverty because they lose out to children of the rich and powerful right away from the get go, especially because of the education system. The government understands this issue and that is why it is pushing to provide more scholarships to children of the poor, however, how many schoolchildren can be helped by such scholarship? Furthermore, are these scholarships truly reaching the hands of the poor? Observers believe that there is only one way to remedy this problem: by strengthening the public education system and turn it into a truly high quality human resource education field. To leave the education as is, i.e. a low quality education system, is tantamount to enslaving children of the poor and allow them to lose to children of the rich and powerful forever.

នៅ​កម្ពុជា​ ប្រពន្ធ័​អប់រំ​សាធារណៈ​នៅ​មាន​គុណភាព​ទាប ​និង​អត្តខាត់​តាំងពី​ថ្នាក់​មតេយ្យ​រហូត​ដល់​ថ្នាក់​ឧត្តម​សិក្សា។ ​បច្ចុប្បន្ន​នេះ ​អ្នកមាន​ជីវភាព​ធូរធា ​និង​មាន​លទ្ធភាព ​បាន​នាំ​គ្នា​បញ្ជូន​កូន​ទៅ​សាលា​ឯកជន​ដែល​ទទួល​បាន​ការ​សិក្សា​ដិតដល់ ​និង​មាន​គុណភាព​ប្រសើរ​ជាង​សាលា​រដ្ឋ។ ​រីឯ​ថ្នាក់​រៀន​ទៀត​សោត​ក៏​មាន​ផាសុកភាព​ជាង​សាលា​រដ្ឋ​ដែរ។ ​ប៉ុន្តែ ​គ្រួសារ​អ្នក​ក្រីក្រ​ដែល​គ្មាន​ជម្រើស​នៅ​តែ​បន្ត​បញ្ជូន​កូន​ទៅ​សាលារដ្ឋ​ដដែល។ ​ក្នុង​បរិបទ​នេះ ​កូន​អ្នកក្រ​មិន​ងាយ​រំដោះ​ខ្លួន​ពី​ភាព​ក្រីក្រ​បាន​ទេ​ពីព្រោះ​ពួកគេ​ចាញ់​ប្រៀប​កូន​អ្នកមាននិង​កូនអ្នកធំ​​តាំងពី​ដំបូង​ទី​ទៅ​ហើយ​នៅ​ក្នុង​ប្រព័ន្ធ​​អប់រំ។

តើ​គួរ​បញ្ជូន​កូន​ទៅ​រៀន​នៅ​សាលា​ណា? ​នេះជា​សំណួរ​ដែល​ចោទ​ឡើង​សម្រាប់​គ្រួសារ​ខ្មែរ​គ្រប់ៗ​គ្នា​ដែល​មាន​កូន​ត្រូវ​ចូល​រៀន។ ​សំណួរ​នេះ​បាន​បញ្ជាក់​ពី​ក្តី​កង្វល់​របស់​មាតា​បិតា​គ្រប់​រូប​ចំពោះ​ការ​អប់រំ​បុត្រធីតា​របស់​ខ្លួន។ ​នៅ​កម្ពុជា ​គ្រួសារ​អ្នក​មាន​និង​អ្នក​ធំ​បាន​បញ្ជូន​កូន​ទៅ​រៀន​នៅ​ក្រៅ​ប្រទេស​ដើម្បី​ទទួល​បាន​ការ​អប់រំ​កម្រិត​ខ្ពស់ ​រីឯ​អ្នកមាន​លទ្ធភាព​ល្មមៗ​បាន​នាំ​គ្នា​គេច​ចេញ​ពី​សាលារដ្ឋ​ដោយ​បញ្ជូន​កូន​ទៅ​សាលា​ឯកជន​ក្នុង​ស្រុក​ដែល​កំពុង​រីក​ដុះដាល​យ៉ាង​ព្រោង​ព្រាត។


គុណសម្បត្តិ​របស់​សាលា​ឯកជន​គឺ​ការ​បង្រៀន​សិស្ស​ដិត​ដល់​ជាង​សាលា​រដ្ឋ,​ មាន​មធ្យោបាយ​ដឹក​ជញ្ជូន​សិស្ស​ទៅ​មក​ដែល​ងាយ​ស្រួល​សម្រាប់​អ្នក​ដែល​ជាប់​រវល់​និង​គ្មាន​ពេល​ជូន​កូន​ទៅ​សាលា។ ​ឳពុក​ម្តាយ​និង​គ្រូ​មាន​ទំនាក់​ទំនង​ល្អ​ដែល​អាច​គ្រប់គ្រង​កូន​បាន​ល្អ​ជាង​សាលា​រដ្ឋ។​ រីឯ​ថ្នាក់​រៀន​ក៏​ទំនើប​ និង​មាន​ផាសុកភាព​ជាង​សាលា​រដ្ឋ​ដែរ។ ​និយាយ​បែប​នេះ​មិន​មែន​មាន​ន័យ​ថា​សាលា​ឯកជន​ទាំអស់​សុទ្ធតែ​មាន​គុណភាព​ល្អ​នោះ​ឡើយ។ ​ក៏​មាន​ដែរ​សាលា​ឯកជន​មួយ​ចំនួន​ដែល​គ្មាន​គុណភាព ​និង​គ្មាន​លក្ខណៈ​សម្បត្តិ​គ្រប់គ្រាន់​នៅ​ឡើយ។ ​យ៉ាងណា​ក៏​ដោយ ​សាលា​រដ្ឋ​ហាក់​កំពុង​ធ្វើ​ឲ្យ​មាតា​បិតា​សិស្ស​បាត់​បង់​ជំនឿ ​ទាំង​ទៅ​លើ​គុណភាព​អប់រំ​ វិន័យ ​និង​ការ​គ្រប់គ្រង​សិស្ស។

Hun Sen and the dubious diplomas [-How about his own numerous and worthless PhDs?]

Dubious degree?

Another dubious degree?

19 March 2009
By Ung Chamroeun
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
Click here to read the article in French

On Wednesday 18 march, during the closing of the meeting for the work tally for the ministry of Education, Hun Sen recognized that the quality of the Cambodian education system is limited.

“I noted that some Master and PhD degrees are too easy to obtain, and there are too many already. Cambodia must be the only country with so many diplomas. Furthermore, there are people who offer to ghost-write thesis!” Hun Sen indicated.

According to Hun Sen, competency must prime over the diplomas: “I don’t look at diplomas. To me, they must show competency. Some Master and PhD degree holders do not even know how to use a computer!” Hun Sen also cited the example set by Kuwait where the number of candidates to higher education is limited to 25. In Cambodia, hundreds of students obtain their Master or PhD degrees.

According the PM, the hiring of new civil servants or employees will be done though testing and not based on the diploma presented: “As an ASEAN member, our country needs human resources capable of working with our partners. However, when a PhD in international relations does not even know what ASEAN is, and what country it is made up of, it is a serious issue.”

Rong Chhun, President the Cambodia Independent Teachers’ Association (CITA), welcomes Hun Sen’s acknowledgment of the reality of the Cambodian education system. “We are optimist because we have a lot of human resources, but we cannot compare the quality of Cambodia’s human resources to those of the neighboring countries. It is a shame for us, and I hope that the government will respect the declaration made by the PM,” Rong Chhun indicated while adding that education without quality is like a poisonous pill because it makes the situation worst.

According to the yearly report by the ministry of Education, Cambodia has 1,634 maternal schools, 6,476 primary schools, 1,006 junior high schools, 315 high schools and 77 higher education institutions both public and private. These higher education institutions receive more that 130,000 students, 864 of whom are pursuing a PhD degree, 11,681 a master degree, 110,000 a bachelor degree and 14,857 in preparation classes for a bachelor program.