There are five issues that must be paid attention in education sector

By Soy Sophea

Education sector is a priority sector that must be highly paid attention in other countries in the world regardless developed or developing countries. Because this sector is a training field for human resources and it is the most important sector for country development. Not only to train human resources to be qualified and more knowledgeable but also to train them on social ethic as well. In Cambodia, although there are efforts to draw strategies to promote education development, we have observed that there are many disadvantages in Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports’ measures. This problem is required for the government to pay more attentions for the sake of Cambodian education sector to get closer to other countries and regional countries as well as in the world.

According to Koh Santepheap newspaper issue 40 volume 6188 Friday 9 November 2007 published an article that Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sent has raised issues that need more attentions in Cambodia education sector. During the closing of Stock-Taking Conference on Education Youth and Sports Affairs for 2006-2007 and Directions Setting for New Academic Year 2007-2008, Samdech gave recommendations to Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports for five issues. (1). The need for supply of tangible materials to all schools, (2). The need for qualified teachers, (3). The need for strengthening the quality and effectiveness of education that can meet the demand of labor market, (4). The need for raising informatics and telecommunication literacy, and (5). The need for harmonization of tertiary education system since the current higher education system is rather isolated and unsmoothed whose managements are under different ministries and institutions, not only under the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports alone.

In order to implement the Samdech Prime Minister’s fourth recommendation, there must be improvement on capability of the information technology and telecommunication that require that Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport to have policy to spread the knowledge of information technology and telecommunications to education curriculum of the ministry. When we succeed, the students across the country will receive good opportunity to get new knowledge and use the information technology. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport must also pay attention to equip computers at schools to enable the schools after the students study theory then they can practice. To draw and implement the policy as described above and enable students that finish their study to have resources of technology in general and will change them to be good seeds to food education qualification in Cambodia and enough human resources for Cambodia society for sustainable technology revolution of the world.

The Cambodia government should encourage and strengthen with partners and other NGOs’ institutes and other private partners and national and international community in order to improve public education services including training and skills in the secondary and higher schools. Moreover, the Royal Government of Cambodia must strengthen its education according to international standard and the country’s needs.

Many experiences have succeeded in many countries including Malaysia which is a country in the Southeast Asia and a member of ASEAN. Malaysia has implemented a study is called Smart School Pilot Project that aimed to show information technology in many schools in Malaysia. In this context, 87 schools implemented the plans with computers that connected to schools with Smart School. Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports recently has signed an agreement with Open Institute cooperated a program (Open School Program) (www.open.org.kh/osp) to provide training for students with computer program in Khmer language. From 2007-2008 in the faculties, universities and teacher training centers will teach students with Khmer language computer usage.

Ministry of Education and Open Institute are working to develop a plan about Information Communication and Technology in education sector that not only teach about ICT through the education system but also the usage of the ICT for teaching and for other subjects including automat administration management. Sustainability of ICT in education will be a main part in the plans by focusing on using computers and use less energy and small expenditure in using the ICT in education.

If we look at the expenditure, for national budget 2007 in the Cambodia education, is higher in a (priority action programs-PAP) which is among the seven priority program in the Royal Government of Cambodia2. The expenditure on education sector is $30.8 Million which is 23.1 percent of the whole national budget while the Ministry of Women’s Affairs has only $0.2 Million which is 5.2 percent only. This is showing the government is paying attention on the education sector as a priority sector.

However, the expenditure on education sector is limited but in order to promote the education qualification, the government must invest on this sector when the government receives income from oil in 2011. According to International Monetary Fund—IMF anticipation $170 Million income from oil in 2011 while in 2021 there will be $1.7 Billion3. Especially, the government must consider to raise teachers’ salaries and to equip them with information technology for the sake of the education development and to strengthen its efficiency.//