Education in Cambodia was traditionally offered by the wats (Buddhist temples) and this was only exclusively for the male population.
In 1917, the law on Education passed by the French colonial government introduced a basic primary and secondary education system that was modeled loosely on that of France. However, this system only reached out a very small percent of the population. It functioned mainly as a way to train civil servants for colonial service throughout French Indochina.
After independence, a universal education system was implemented. Many vocational colleges such as the School of Health, Royal School of Administration and the College of Education sprung up. Apart from a Buddhist University established in 1954, Cambodia had no public institution of higher education.
It was not until the 1960s that Khmer Royal University was found. In 1965, the institution became the Royal University and six more tertiary training institutions were created - the Royal Technical University, the Royal University of Fine Arts, the Royal University of Kompong Cham, the Royal University of Takeo, the Royal University of Agronomic Sciences and the Popular University.
However, the Khmer Rouge abolished education in 1975. They went on to destroy teaching materials, textbooks and publishing houses. Schools and universities were forced to close down and the school buildings were put to other uses.
When the new Cambodian government came to power in 1979, it had to resurrect the education system. Pre-school, primary and secondary schools were first to appear, followed by the non-formal education for adults and a network of colleges and universities.
Now, Cambodia offers free compulsory education, guaranteeing the universal right to basic quality education. The education system, however, continues to experience many difficulties. They have a shortage of qualified teaching staff, poor morale due to low salary levels and lack of suitable teaching materials. Attendance at school remains low as children are still helping their families in the fields.
Reference Links:
No comments:
Post a Comment