Education and its role in Cambodia.
Education in Cambodia before the Khmer Rouge Regime mirrored the French system. Today, it is six years of primary school (grades 1-6), three years of lower secondary school (grades 7-9), and three years of upper secondary school (grades 10-12), following more of a westernised educational model.
In 1979, after the Pol Pot regime, the Ministry of Education was created, and later restructured in 1998. Today, there is no legislation in place to regulate the new system, and also, only a small budget is allocated to education by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Do we have a problem here?
According to UNESCO, only 1.6 per cent of Cambodia’s Gross Domestic Product (GNP) is spent on education. The GDP on education in most western countries is anywhere between 5.5 to 6.4 per cent.
In Phnom Penh, I see more Lexus cars than anywhere else in the world, and I hope the money allocated isn’t going to purchasing Lexus cars, the luxury car made by Toyota.
The government still denies the education sector the funding it needs, even though they are aware of the important role that education plays in the development of the country.
The main focus of the education system is on basic literacy.
Having worked in the education sector, and having former colleagues and friends who work in education, we have witnessed unethical acts
by teachers and the corruption in the education system.
The dilemma which many teachers are faced with is whether to cross the line between the ethical code of teaching and trying to survive on a teacher’s low salary.
Their decision is based on survival, and many have resorted to charging their students tuition fees and taking bribes for “passing grades” in examinations.
Also, many spend less time in the classroom as they have additional employment elsewhere to supplement their low teaching salaries.
In addition, the classrooms are under-equipped and lack proper teaching materials due to the shortage of funding. In several cases, much of the equipment and supplies have been stolen by staff members at their institutions.
With these problems facing the education sector, and the school-age population continuing to grow, the government still denies the funding it needs to realise its important role in the development of the country.
Why not pay the teachers a higher salary so they can focus on just one occupation, as a teacher, a much needed role in our society. Implement programs to provide free education to all the children, not just selected individuals or groups.
Countries like Brazil, Greece, Denmark, Argentina, Sri Lanka and Barbados provide free education which is funded through charitable organisations or taxation.
Finally, it is evident that there is a wide gap between the economic classes, with more than half of the population living in poverty in Cambodia.
The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, and there is a small percentage of the middle class, but it is growing.
Education is the only answer to getting people out of poverty and giving a brighter future for the young generations in Cambodia.
Read more at http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012062256956/National-news/education-and-its-role-in-cambodia.html
http://www.languagecorpsasia.com
Showing posts with label French. Show all posts
Showing posts with label French. Show all posts
Friday, August 3, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
Asian Languages are Lessons for the Future
Asian languages are lessons for the future.
PARENTS are pressuring their children to study European languages at school, despite the need for Asian literacy in the modern workplace.
Australian Secondary Principals Association president Sheree Vertigan said parents were pushing traditional languages such as French and German because of our European heritage.
However, Australia's future lay with Asia and the nation needed more students studying Asian and Arabic-based languages at school, she said.
"There is a strong parental influence because French and German are traditional languages and were a way of showing we were connected to Europe, whereas most people in business realise that is no longer the case," she said.
Australia's multiculturalism stands out at Auburn West Public School, where 99 per cent of students speak English as a second language. Between them, they speak 28 languages.
Relieving principal Harry Vassila said the school had various specialist teachers to help students such as 11-year-old Jasmine Elsayedahmed who, with a Lebanese father and a mother from the Czech Republic, spoke three languages at home.
"The students appreciate, respect and recognise the different cultures and languages that we have," he said.
Across the state, 224,794 public school students - about 29.6 per cent - speak a language other than English at home, Department of Education and Communities data shows.
Chinese, with 39,593 students in 2011, has been the most common foreign-language background in public schools since 1997, followed by Arabic with 29,402 students.
Foreign languages are not compulsory in primary school but in high school students have to learn one for at least a year between Years 7 and 10.
French is the most popular, with 1688 students across three subjects in the 2011 HSC, followed by Japanese, Chinese, Italian and German.
The most popular individual subject is for Chinese-background speakers, with 963 enrolled students.
Ms Vertigan said many students did not want to compete against native speakers because it could affect their ATAR score and university choices.
A national curriculum is being drafted to include Asian topics.
NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli said "we have to look at ways of making Asian languages more attractive" and accessible for all students, not just those with an Asian background.
Read more at http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-news/asian-languages-are-lessons-for-the-future/story-e6freuzi-1226397110162
http://www.languagecorpsasia.com
PARENTS are pressuring their children to study European languages at school, despite the need for Asian literacy in the modern workplace.
Australian Secondary Principals Association president Sheree Vertigan said parents were pushing traditional languages such as French and German because of our European heritage.
However, Australia's future lay with Asia and the nation needed more students studying Asian and Arabic-based languages at school, she said.
"There is a strong parental influence because French and German are traditional languages and were a way of showing we were connected to Europe, whereas most people in business realise that is no longer the case," she said.
Australia's multiculturalism stands out at Auburn West Public School, where 99 per cent of students speak English as a second language. Between them, they speak 28 languages.
Relieving principal Harry Vassila said the school had various specialist teachers to help students such as 11-year-old Jasmine Elsayedahmed who, with a Lebanese father and a mother from the Czech Republic, spoke three languages at home.
"The students appreciate, respect and recognise the different cultures and languages that we have," he said.
Across the state, 224,794 public school students - about 29.6 per cent - speak a language other than English at home, Department of Education and Communities data shows.
Chinese, with 39,593 students in 2011, has been the most common foreign-language background in public schools since 1997, followed by Arabic with 29,402 students.
Foreign languages are not compulsory in primary school but in high school students have to learn one for at least a year between Years 7 and 10.
French is the most popular, with 1688 students across three subjects in the 2011 HSC, followed by Japanese, Chinese, Italian and German.
The most popular individual subject is for Chinese-background speakers, with 963 enrolled students.
Ms Vertigan said many students did not want to compete against native speakers because it could affect their ATAR score and university choices.
A national curriculum is being drafted to include Asian topics.
NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli said "we have to look at ways of making Asian languages more attractive" and accessible for all students, not just those with an Asian background.
Read more at http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-news/asian-languages-are-lessons-for-the-future/story-e6freuzi-1226397110162
http://www.languagecorpsasia.com
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