Higher Education in Cambodia

English in higher education in Cambodia

“…Research is still very young, just exiting the ‘dark age[s]’ (Chealy : 161) for Cambodian society, whereby ‘research capacity has been an underdeveloped area in Cambodian higher education institutions, both public and private’ (Munty & Khuon Dyla : 141). Despite these weaknesses in research development, the Cambodian government has implemented several measures to promote the research culture in the higher education system through the establishment of the Scientific Research Department and the Pedagogical Research Department at the ministerial level, the introduction of the Policy on Research Development in the Education Section in accordance to Articles 18 and 28 of the Education Law of Cambodia and the creation of royal academies as think‐tanks for the country (Munty & Khuon Dyla ; Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS) of Cambodia , ).…”

“…Despite these weaknesses in research development, the Cambodian government has implemented several measures to promote the research culture in the higher education system through the establishment of the Scientific Research Department and the Pedagogical Research Department at the ministerial level, the introduction of the Policy on Research Development in the Education Section in accordance to Articles 18 and 28 of the Education Law of Cambodia and the creation of royal academies as think‐tanks for the country (Munty & Khuon Dyla ; Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS) of Cambodia , ). According to Chealy (), a sub‐degree was signed to provide research funds in the form of financial incentives (an honorarium) to those classified as researchers by the government, namely, members of the Royal Academy of Cambodia. These developments indicate that Cambodian policymakers have deep concerns for and recognize the significance of research in higher education.…”

“…Institutional, governmental and national infrastructures for research are also lacking and inadequate such as ‘copyright regulations, research facilities, laboratories of necessary size and scope’ (Chealy : 161). There is often no or only limited access to literature resources such as online journal articles and the latest publication of books by international publishers.…”

“…Existing practices and cultural traditions in Cambodia also hinder research capacity development because most parents believe that their children are best taught through rote learning and the necessity to respect and follow directives and advice given by elderly persons, teachers or any other figures in authority (Chealy ). Therefore, questioning is often considered taboo in society and impolite in such circumstances, yet the action of asking questions is the ‘essence of research at all levels’ (Chealy : 161).…”

Understanding self-efficacy and the dynamics of part-time work and career aspiration

“…This has, in part, been fuelled by World Bank funding aimed at increasing HE capacity and raising quality standards, but primarily from the growth in the number of private HEIs (Locard and Ang 2010) and the introduction of fee-paying students into public institutions (Barom 2009). This has, however, led to questions regarding quality in the sector (Chealy 2009;MacKinnon 2013) and the ability of students from poorer socioeconomic backgrounds to sustain themselves financially through their degree studies (Barom 2009). This has led some to demand further restructuring of the HE sector and greater collaboration between HEIs to address the learning needs of poorer communities in Cambodia (Postiglione 2011).…”