For many, it’s a matter of degrees

 Corruption, funding shortages and an obsession with profit are plaguing the quality of university education in Cambodia, students say, driving them overseas in search of master’s and PhD programs.

If the government hopes to keep its best and brightest at home, it must resolve these issues and build a world-class university system from within, said Sim Socheata, one of three Cambodians on scholarship at the University of Melbourne, Australia, who spoke to the Post about their frustrations with Cambodian education.

“It is time for Cambodians to start researching, analysing, drawing conclusions and suggesting what needs to be done . . . Up until now, this has been largely left to external advisers,” said the 29-year-old, who is studying for her master’s in public health.

Obstacles hindering Cambodia’s higher education system include low salaries for teachers – which force them into second jobs – a lack of materials and equipment and a “mushrooming” of the private system, which has encouraged a focus on profit over quality, and flooded the labour market with graduates who can’t find work in their field, she said.

Men Nimmith, 42, moved to Australia to study for a PhD in law in a quest to do the “bigger and better things” he believes are impossible with only a Cambodian degree.

“Higher education in Cambodia has lower quality and very limited facilities. For example, poor library and teaching/learning techniques,” he said.

But Cambodian students suffer not because the government cannot afford to properly fund education, but because it chooses not to, he said. 

“[The government is] spending too little on the education sector, and too much on the military,” he said, adding that rampant corruption also takes a toll.

In the place of quality learning, a system of “ceremonial education”, in which bribes are paid for degrees, is flourishing, Men Nimmith said.

“It is dangerous that several of the universities are very powerful and active in selling diplomas. It is frightening,” he said, declining to name specific universities.

Mak Ngoy, director general of higher education at the Ministry of Education, denies such corruption exists and said such beliefs have arisen from “confusion”.

“There is no such issue. Those who don’t study or go to school, we will not give degrees. There is no buying of degrees in Cambodia,” he said.

“The concept of private university tuition fees started in 1997. So it’s not buying a degree. It is just a study tuition fee. People may be confused by this.”

Khim Keovathanak, 37, from Phnom Penh, is studying for a PhD in health systems in Melbourne and spends his holiday teaching at the Royal University of Phnom Penh.

Cambodia’s system lacks rules, regulations and uniformity, which results in students not being taught “the basics” of university, such as meeting deadlines and avoiding plagiarism, he said.

“The teachers are being constrained in terms of doing their job properly. They are not being paid enough and are in environments not conducive to their work,” he said.  “They have to provide for a family, so they have to do other jobs.” 

The UNDP-funded Human Capital Report, released in August, voices similar concerns.

“In most cases, students graduating from university with degrees in management, accounting and business administration were found to be lacking in the essential skills and practical experience required for employment in the field for which they were supposed to be qualified,” the report says.

Scoping Study: Research Capacities of Cambodia’s Universities, commissioned by the Development Research Forum in Cambodia and released last year, examines 15 universities, public and private, and concludes that research is lacking, due partly to a “missing generation of academics in the immediate post-conflict era”, but exacerbated by inadequate funding and professional development of staff.

“There is a relative absence of any government budget allocation for research activities in public universities,” it said. “Salaries remain low [and] lecturers tend to take up part-time teaching at a number of other institutions.”

The report recommends universities develop research, form partnerships with civil society groups, state agencies and the private sector, and establish long-term goals.  

Mak Ngoy cannot say how much money the government invests in education because he is “not in charge of it”, but he defends the funding put into universities.

“The education sector receives much more than other sectors. I have no figure, but I know it’s a lot . . . We (also) have support from donors and development partners.

“The Cambodian government regards the education sector as a priority and always increases money for it from one year to another,” he said. 

Public university teachers earn at least US$100 per month plus between $2.30 for each hour of actual teaching, but if their universities offer additional private classes, teachers can earn more than $500 per month, Mak Ngoy said.

As to why teachers are taking second or third jobs, “it’s better to ask them”.

Cambodia’s higher education sector, which comprises 97 institutions, 38 of them public, has come a long way since the 1990s, when only students who won scholarships could study, Mak Ngoy said.

“We did not have full peace until 1998. So we have had 13 years to build the education system, and we have seen an increase in both quality and quantity.”

About 10 employers the Post spoke to, including phone companies, NGOs and banks, said experience is the most important thing they look for in jobseekers, followed by education.

One Phnom Penh-based technology company told the Post it prefers graduates who have studied in other countries, preferably Japan, the US or Australia, because they have “more advanced skills”.

However, this is not something the company mentions in job descriptions or interviews, so it asked not to be named.

Mak Ngoy acknowledges that many students want to study in countries such as Japan and Australia.

“[But these] are developed countries, so development means that everything is better, including the education system. [However] paying to study at university here is not too expensive, [and] we give more than 5,000 students per year a scholarship.”

Ek Tha, spokesman for the Press and Quick Reaction Unit of the Council of Ministers, said the government is looking to countries such as the US, Canada and Australia for ways to improve.

“Those governments heavily invest in education, and this is why Cambodia wants to improve its quality of education by calling for investment in education. We want our children and students to obtain higher education [here] like students overseas.”

While Cambodia’s students wait for this change, Sim Socheata said they also need to take responsibility for their learning.

“How serious do Cambodian students commit to reading books other than the required course books?” she asked. 

“We need to promote the culture of reading among our generations, as through reading we begin to acquire broader knowledge outside what we learn through the system.”


http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012010353742/National-news/for-many-its-a-matter-of-degrees.html

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Cambodia recruits about 5,000 Teachers to expand education for all

Cambodia’s Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday said that the government has allowed the education ministry to recruit about 5,000 teachers to implement the education for all policy and boost the education to build human resources for the country.

“Other ministries did not allow recruiting new civil servants but health and education ministries did because we need to expand our development and help local people to upgrade their living condition,” he added.

Cambodia also affected from global economic slowdown and expenditure for general affairs also reduced after the national income is limited.

“Cambodia is trying to deploy school near community to attract the students to enjoy schooling.” “We are trying to offer chance for our next generation for better future and now the we also are trying to reduce the gap of rich –poor and urban and suburb areas”
The university has been deployed at provincial levels and provincial students enjoyed higher education.
for health ministry, mid-wife and nruses need to provide the health care services for general people espcially pregnant health care to reduce child death and rate of birth death.

Source: http://thesoutheastasiaweekly.com

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A tour guide, a US couple and a school

THE SPITLER SCHOOL PROVIDES EDUCATION TO ALMOST 500 CHILDREN.

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THERE are many projects that impact on the lives of the young children of Cambodia. Many of them involve international and local NGOs in their work throughout the Kingdom, but there are many others that the NGOs themselves recognise as important to their own objective of helping Cambodia.

These are non-profit and charit-able organisations and foundations putting money into many worthwhile, often long-term, projects undertaken, maintained and developed by Cambodians themselves who see a brighter and better future for their people, especially the young.

The Spitler School Foundation is a charitable foundation based in the US State of Arizona and its emergence was the result of a Siem Reap holiday by an American husband and wife and the enterprise, determination and dedication of a young Cambodian tour guide.

The result was the Spitler School, named after the couple Danny and Pam Spitler, and established in 2005, which now provides a primary education to almost 500 impoverished children in the village of Ang Chagn Chass, not far from the city of Siem Reap, supported by the Spitler School Foundation.

The school became a reality because of that tour guide Chea Sarin who, as a young boy, saw his family separated and his father killed during the genocide of the Khmer Rouge.

Sarin survived, learned English, vowed to make a difference in his community and longed to do something to help the children. 

His dream became a reality when he was able to build a school in a village where no school existed.  With financial assistance from the Spitler family in the United States, what started as a small wood and thatch classroom with two teachers has grown into a substantial campus educating almost 500 students from kindergarten through to sixth grade. 

The Spitler School is recognised by the Cambodian Ministry of Education for meeting and exceeding all standards for a primary education.

All administrative and teaching positions are filled with Cambodians earning good salaries, and in addition to providing an education for village children the school has become a source of pride for the surrounding area, as Sarin has helped to co-ordinate many initiat-ives to provide assistance to the families of the students.

Last month was the second graduation ceremony at Spitler School, with the presentation to 46 students with their graduation certificates from primary school.  Many of the graduates were members of the kindergarten class that arrived in September, 2005, on the day the Spitler School first opened its doors.    

Through their Class of 2011 Scholarship fund they  have raised enough to provide the graduates with the necessities they need to continue their education in middle school with each  receiving  a new bicycle, two school uniforms, and the necessary pens, pencils and notebooks that are required. 

As more funds become available they expect to support the class with additional assistance for items such as dental care, tutoring assistance, bicycle repairs, and incentives for good attendance and academic achievement.

The drop out rate in Cambodia between grades seven and 12 exceeds 70 per cent, so the staff at the Spitler School monitor and support their graduates, aiming to break that trend and help them stay in school and also to break the cycle of poverty that their families have endured.

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What employers want to see in candidates

In recent years, the company no less interested in candidates who change jobs repeatedly.The uncertainty in the industry that people have to look at slightly less favorably, so candidates with stable work history will be very attractive to them.

In the process of finding work, getting the attention of employers is indeed a significant challenge. Of course, there are always tips to help candidates attract employers, but it is not enough for you to land safely at the desired location.

Artwork

Here are the attractions that employers can not resist when considering potential candidates:

- Introduce a stable work history

In recent years, the company no less interested in candidates who change jobs repeatedly. The uncertainty in the industry that people have to look at slightly less favorably, so candidates with stable work history will be very attractive to them.

According to Joseph Kotlinski, partner recruitment firm Winter, Wyman & Co, if you jump over the place, the profile is in some months, you can fill the gap by taking courses or programs volunteers.

- Profile attractive

In this era of technological development today, just a simple CV wrapped in a sheet of paper is not enough attraction. Most employers want to see your online profile so lively and full. Resume you send to the employers are still paper-based documents, but they want the online catalog complete with pictures throughout your career, can be understood as a "gallery online store "So.

Nathan Parcells, Chief executive of InternMatch.com, recommend that candidates should address link to personal blog or online profile for employers to learn more and leave lasting impression to employers.

- Introduction achievement through CV

Do not allow employers to think, predict the performance you achieved during the work. Instead, your CV should include significant achievements since the first line by employers looking for candidates who have successfully and publicly what they dare to achieve.

Dawn Rasmussen - President of Pathfinder Writing and Career Services, said that candidates should be included in the CV of the award was recognition, recognition from customers, friends, partners or any article related to Patent or your work.

- Understand company

This is what any employer would want to do well in their candidates. According to Jessica Miller-Merrell, Chief executive of the company personnel Xceptional, you should find information about the company through industry publications, information from interviews with leaders of the company or through acquaintances has been working there.

Many candidates subjectivity that, just visit the company can complete the necessary information, but in reality, just web surfing alone is not enough. To attract employers, you should take the time to learn more about the company.

- Demonstrate the ability to

To be sure to attract the attention of employers, you should dig their experiences and interests can bring to the company. Malcolm Munro career experts suggest candidates should be described in two ways, you can help companies solve problems and how the benefits you bring to the company from the experience you have. Before the interview, take time to gather evidence to give employers the ability to see clearly that you can contribute to the company.

- If necessary questions when interviewing

An interview is not just a party and a party to answer questions. Applicants should have their own questions for further discussion with the interviewer. As Kahnweiler, two questions you should make the interview as "busy as you can not sleep?" and "How to measure success?".

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Cambodian awarded ‘Nobel prize’ of Asia

Cambodian citizen Koul Panha has been awarded the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award, often referred to as Asia’s Nobel peace prize, for his work with the Committee for Free and Fair Elections.

He is one of six people to receive this year’s award, which will be presented to them at a ceremony in Manila on August 31.

He is being recognised for “his determined and courageous leadership of the sustained campaign to build an enlightened, organised and vigilant citizenry who will ensure fair and free elections – as well as demand accountable governance by their elected officials – in Cambodia’s nascent democracy”, the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation said.

In an interview with The Post, Koul Panha said he was “surprised” and “excited” to receive the award.

Koul Panha is executive director of Comfrel, which seeks to increase electoral transparency and voter participation.

Since 1997 it has enlisted more than 50,000 election volunteers and held election-related workshops for about 150,000 voters, he said.

Koul Panha said the award would encourage his organisation to work harder, especially in preparation for the commune elections next year and national elections in 2013.

“We will deploy our volunteers to inform people about the importance of elections and their right to vote, as well as advocating electoral fairness, integrity and an even playing field for all [political] parties,” he said.

“The history of Cambodia is full of conflict. People want, finally, to enjoy democracy and fair elections.”

The award is named after a president of the Philippines who died in a plane crash in 1957. The foundation that oversees the award was established by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund to “honour his memory and perpetuate his example of integrity in public service and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society”.

Koul Panha will receive a certificate, a cash prize and a medallion emblazoned with the image of Ramon Magsaysay. A total of 290 people in 22 Asian countries have been given the award. according to ppp

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Funny ways to solve problems is one of a kind

In the advanced education such as the West's "second most evil drug" also created ways to solve problems very nicely, so no one could help laughing.

1. Khai base

How to declare the basis that teachers do not make well thought out.

2. Binomial expansion

Ask the subject all the "Expand" means "development", but another sense of the word is "expanding". Considering the sense that the students he has done very well require that all threads in place.

3. Find x

"X right here, is to find anything. Please post this funny too." Perhaps you think that these students to see all threads.

4. The sin x

Lessons on how to "eliminate" the application of a "radical."

5. Difficult problem

How different is hard to hang people.

6. The limited

The limit of x-8 result in a No. 8 reverse (positive infinity). Derived from the ...

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Educational progress a 'suprise'

A new report on education in the developing world has identified Cambodia’s progress in the sector as a “surprise”, as officials yesterday highlighted factors that continue to plague the country’s school system.

In a report set for release today, the United Kingdom-based Overseas Development Institute advised the government to address issues such as high dropout and grade repetition rates, lack of educational resources, prevalence of “informal fees” for students and the need for adequate salaries for teachers. Cambodia was labelled one of seven in the “surprises” category of progress, in addition to El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Laos, Rwanda and Somaliland – an autonomous region of Somalia.

“High levels of corruption and low institutional capacity constrain further progress in education. Dropout rates remain high, and low levels of education quality need to be addressed,” the report stated, adding that substantial reforms are needed for Cambodia to reach the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals of achieving universal primary education and gender parity by 2015.

Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association, said yesterday that the Kingdom’s education system was even further from reaching these goals than the report claims.

“I do not believe that Cambodia will reach its MDGs for the education system by 2015 because until now its teaching system has not improved and its quality [of education] is still poor ... the dropout rate still remains very high,” he said. “They dropout and leave the school because of poverty and they cannot pay the informal fees for their studies.”

Buoy Bunna, an advisor to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, said yesterday that he was equally doubtful of meeting the MDGs, but added that progress was being made.

“I do not expect that Cambodia will reach its MDGs … but it can almost completely reduce the dropout rate in the country,” he said. Many students leave school early to work with their families, he said, which is difficult to contend with.

“The government is now working hard in providing free education for children as well as dropout students and building more schools closer to their villages or communities throughout the country,” he added.

Rong Chhun added that to reach the MDGs for education, the government must “completely combat all kinds of informal fees taken by teachers and school officials” and increase salaries for teachers, which he said should be 1 million riel (US$245) per month. Yet Buoy Bunna said that improvements were already being made to increase the quality of life for teachers, but declined to comment on informal fees.

“The government has also increased teachers’ salaries by 20 percent per year. From now until 2015, I think that high school teachers’ salaries will increase to $150,” he said.

CITA released a survey of 726 teachers last month. It revealed that 24 percent of teachers were concerned about low salaries, 17 percent about corruption in schools and 15 percent about a lack of study materials and teacher training. according to ppp, June 13, 2011

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Uuniversity of Portland students raise $20,000 for education in Cambodia

Photo courtesy of Kurt Berning Kenny King with Cambodian student

Catholic Sentinel
4th June, 2011

Kenny King and Kurt Berning, students at the University of Portland, have raised more $20,000 for education in Cambodia. King and Berning are the founders of Global Alliance for Developing Education, a non-profit that is dedicated to building education in developing countries. The money was raised at a gourmet meal and auction held at the North Portland school.

King and Berning also took first place in the non-profit category at the $100K Challenge, a business plan competition hosted by the University’s Entrepreneur Scholar program and Pamplin School of Business.

The organization's strategies include expanding an existing microfinance program, building a secondary school, training teachers and providing scholarships for high school students to attend college.

The two recently traveled to Cambodia.
 “The trip has inspired me to work tirelessly to improve the quality of schools in Cambodia and offer opportunities to the deserving students,” said Berning. “The need in these schools is dire, and even a relatively small amount of money in the U.S. can make a dramatic impact on the life of a Cambodian student.” Catholic Sentinel,  4th June, 2011

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ECCC spokesman mourned

Reach Sambath, the head of public affairs at the Khmer Rouge tribunal, a beloved lecturer at the Royal University of Phnom Penh and one of the premier Cambodian journalists of his generation, died on Wednesday night in Phnom Penh. He was 47 years old. After suffering a stroke on Tuesday, Sambath was taken to Calmette Hospital, where he passed away before he could be evacuated to Bangkok for further treatment. He is survived by his wife and three children. Tributes poured in yesterday from around the world from people who remembered Sambath for his wit, charisma and warmth. Colleagues recalled a reporter who bravely chronicled the Kingdom’s turbulent 1990s, while students spoke of a jovial professor who took pride in imparting his skills to young Cambodians eager to follow in his footsteps. Sambath was born in Svay Rieng province as one of six brothers, his older brother, Reach Samnang, said yesterday. The two were evacuated to Battambang province when the Khmer Rouge came to power, returning home by foot on a month-long journey after the fall of the regime in 1979. “We made a pull-cart to carry two sacks of rice, dry beef and fish to eat during our trip back home,” Reach Samnang said. When they arrived back in Svay Rieng, they found that their parents and four older brothers had perished. They then moved briefly to Kampot province’s Kampong Trach district, Samnang said, where Sambath survived by climbing palm trees to harvest the sap and make sugar. The same year, they moved to Phnom Penh, where Sambath, then 14, earned a living as a bicycle-taxi driver and later studied at Preah Sisowath High School. Sambath joined the Agence France-Presse news agency in 1991, going on to report on the fractious partisan fighting in the years that followed and the collapse of the Khmer Rouge movement. Moeun Chhean Nariddh, director of the Cambodia Institute for Media Studies, said Sambath stood out for his bravery even among colleagues in what at the time was a dangerous profession.  At one point during clashes between government troops and the Khmer Rouge insurgency in the 1990s, Sambath “went to the battlefield near Pailin, and he had to ride in the tank with the government army,” Moeun Chhean Nariddh said. “He took the risks to fulfill the people’s right to know, to keep the public informed.” Sambath eventually won the opportunity to study journalism at Columbia University in the United States, graduating in 2001, and returned to the Kingdom to teach in the department of media and communications at the Royal University of Phnom Penh. There, he introduced modern journalism techniques to hundreds of students while keeping them entertained with his famous sense of humour. “Sambath loved being a funnyman, and his students never got bored,” said Heng Sinith, a photographer with the Associated Press. Sinith last saw his friend on Monday night, when Sambath came to pick him up after his car broke down. He said Sambath would be remembered both for his personal generosity and his role in the development of the Cambodian media. “He was a great contributor to society and to the professionalism of journalists here,” Sinith said. In 2006, Sambath became one of the first staff members at the Khmer Rouge tribunal, where he eventually became chief of the public affairs section. There, he lent his genial manner and skills in communication to the task of explaining the complex workings of the court to the Cambodian public. “I have never seen anyone more engaging as a public speaker to any kind of audience,” said United Nations court spokesman Lars Olsen, who worked closely with Sambath for the past two years. “He had a passion for teaching. He wanted knowledge, and he wanted other people to search for knowledge as well.” On the day of the tribunal’s verdict against former S-21 prison chief Kaing Guek Eav last year, Sambath spoke of the importance of this work. Standing under a cloudy sky outside the court, he said he had worked the previous evening with his 14-year-old daughter in composing his remarks for the post-verdict press conference, showing off her handwritten comments in the margins of his notes. “I’m very, very proud that the younger generation like my daughter had a chance to learn about the history, especially the dark history that affected the lives of their parents and grandparents,” he said. according to ppp, May 13, 2011

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Survey Finds Little Optimism Among Teachers

A survey by a teacher’s association has found a high degree of pessimism among the country’s educators, with nearly half saying they believe the education system in Cambodia has not developed at all. The annual survey by the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association, which questioned 726 teachers across 17 provinces, also found a majority who believed the education system has “no quality.” That number, 39.5 percent, was lower than the 45.5 percent who said they thought the country had not developed at all. About 14 percent of those surveyed said the sector had shown some development. “We are very worried about the quality of education in Cambodia,” said Rong Chhun, president of the association. “The quality of education in Cambodia has reached a low-level alert.” About half the respondents—52 percent—said low salaries were causing a decline in education quality. Fifteen percent said education suffered from a lack of transparency in its administration and that inactive school directors need to be removed. Other reasons cited were corruption and a lack of teaching materials and training. About 85 percent of respondents said they felt they were not involved enough in decision making. Only 56 percent said they knew what the country’s education strategy was. Rong Chhun said he hoped the survey would be used by the Ministry of Education to reform the sector. But Ou Eng, general director of the education department for the Ministry of Education, said the survey was “unfair and untrue.” According to VOA 09 May 2011

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Teachers raise concerns

Abuse of government funds, low teacher salaries and a lack of training and materials are weakening the Kingdom’s education system, according to a report released by the Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association yesterday.  CITA said that it had surveyed 726 teachers across 17 provinces in March, revealing that 24 percent of teachers were concerned about low salaries, 17 percent about corruption in schools and 15 percent about a lack of study materials and teacher training. About 8 percent of those surveyed were CITA members. CITA President Rong Chhun said yesterday that he would send the report to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, which had to eliminate corruption in the education system. “The teachers said … some school directors use government funds for their own benefit, keep money from vendors who rent school space, keep some teachers’ salaries and overtime pay and sell examination papers [to students],” he said. “The education system in Cambodia is still bad.” Rong Chhun said that 52 percent of teachers surveyed wanted higher salaries and 15 percent wanted new principals in their schools. “If the ministry of education does not find a solution for teachers who are facing these problems, we will keep demanding action,” he said, adding that association members were willing to protest or strike. Thong Soeun, a former primary school teacher from Prey Veng province, said yesterday that he had changed professions because his teaching salary was too low to support his family. “I suspended my teaching one year ago and now work elsewhere because my teaching salary was low,” he said, claiming that the principal at his school had taken government funds intended for the school’s development. In March, Rong Chhun sent a letter to Prime Minister Hun Sen urging government officials to provide teachers with an additional 20,000 riel (US$5) a month to compensate for a rise in living expenses. Neither Education Minister Im Sethy, nor officials from the Ministry of Education could be reached for comment yesterday.

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News RSS Feed Survey Finds Little Optimism Among Teachers

A survey by a teacher’s association has found a high degree of pessimism among the country’s educators, with nearly half saying they believe the education system in Cambodia has not developed at all. The annual survey by the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association, which questioned 726 teachers across 17 provinces, also found a majority who believed the education system has “no quality.” That number, 39.5 percent, was lower than the 45.5 percent who said they thought the country had not developed at all. About 14 percent of those surveyed said the sector had shown some development. “We are very worried about the quality of education in Cambodia,” said Rong Chhun, president of the association. “The quality of education in Cambodia has reached a low-level alert.”
About half the respondents—52 percent—said low salaries were causing a decline in education quality. Fifteen percent said education suffered from a lack of transparency in its administration and that inactive school directors need to be removed. Other reasons cited were corruption and a lack of teaching materials and training. About 85 percent of respondents said they felt they were not involved enough in decision making. Only 56 percent said they knew what the country’s education strategy was. Rong Chhun said he hoped the survey would be used by the Ministry of Education to reform the sector. But Ou Eng, general director of the education department for the Ministry of Education, said the survey was “unfair and untrue.” according to voa

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Filipino teachers excel and loved in Cambodia’s classrooms

Their primary goal when they left the country for Cambodia may have been to earn more money. But in the end, Filipino teachers end up giving their best to that country. Take the case of Jayson Umaquing, who left the Philippines six years ago for a teaching job that was to give him higher pay in US dollars, part of which he could send back home to his parents and two sisters. He also wanted to embark on an adventure and a life of independence from his family. His mother would not let him leave at first, fearing for his safety, but he grabbed the opportunity after being accepted for a teaching job in a private school in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh. It was for him a a completely new world where he met people from different parts of the globe. He was able to visit the famous heritage destination Angkor Wat in Siem Reap and other places of nature. The exchange rate at the time was at least P47 to a dollar and that went a long way in sending his sister and some relatives to school. He went through the stage of being lonely, doing all the work at home and in school, and facing a language barrier in a country where only a few speak English. But after learning the Khmer language, he was able to mingle with the local population and found that “they are a friendly and enthusiastic” people. He said he has adapted to the Khmer culture, which he described as “very rich and interesting.” In his six years of teaching Math and English to Grades 9 and 10 pupils of the Pannasastra International School, and Business and English subjects to college students of the Pannasastra University and the Western University of Cambodia, he observed that students “easily give up and get stressed.” But Filipino teachers are “patient and hardworking,” he observed. Another teacher, Joyce Ira Yarza, 28, first taught in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam in 2005, but transferred to an advertising firm in Phnom Penh in 2007 on the invitation of a friend. She enjoyed the teaching job for two years, but felt she needed change. She went back to teaching and “found a new heaven” in the Cambodia International Academy in Phnom Penh. Joyce brought her children to Cambodia so she wouldn’t miss them. Together with her husband and children, she said she has “found a new home that will satisfy our needs.” She has not had any problem with the locals, as she has adapted to their nature and culture. She teaches algebra, science and English for middle level students. The pay and work conditions are “not as much as I get in Vietnam” but the “best thing” she likes in the city is the “simple way of life.” She works Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and spends her weekends with the family. “I am not stressed here,” she added. Most teachers in Cambodia accept tutorial services in the evenings, Joyce said, something she cannot do because she has her hands full with her own family. Working in a multicultural community makes teaching so much fun, she added. “Every day, you learn many things from your colleagues and students. If there is one thing I consider a challenge, it’s how to improve myself and my teaching to give the best for my students,” Joyce said. Another teacher, Jennifer, (not her real name), who requested anonymity, said she went to Cambodia to apply for the job that she is currently holding. For three years, she has been teaching all subjects at the primary level of a Christian school. Exposure and involvement in a multicultural community are some of the benefits of teaching in Cambodia, Jennifer said. “Each year, I have at least five nationalities in a class. I not only teach but also get to learn and appreciate my kids’ culture. I get more interested about foreign news and information, particularly about my students’ countries,” she explained. There were 257 Filipino teachers in Cambodia as of Dec. 31, 2010, the Philippine Embassy in Phnom Penh said. “Most of them work for private schools and universities at levels ranging from pre-school to post-graduate studies,” according to Ambassador Noe A. Wong in his reply to an e-mailed questionnaire from the Inquirer. Some Filipino teachers also occupy academic supervisory posts like principal or dean, he said. Their salaries vary depending on the school and teaching level, the embassy said. Jayson said he has had memorable experiences, one of which was when he had a Christmas lunch with his students and they gave him a gift and numerous Christmas cards with heartfelt messages. He was so happy to know his students appreciated his work, he said. But as Cambodia develops, things will not always be the same for migrant professionals in that country. Jayson realizes that for the past few years, companies and organizations in Cambodia have started to localize their work force because of the lower cost of hiring personnel. “The wages we get here are not as big as those being given in First World countries,” he said in an emailed reply to an interview. “Although sometimes, we don’t get benefits,” he added without elaborating. Thus, he plans to go back home this year to explore other employment opportunities in other countries, or to finish his Master’s degree. For Joyce, she will never forget being described by her students as the “Best Science Teacher” they ever had. She and her husband have not made plans to move to another country in the next years. But Joyce said she would come back to the Philippines only when she retires. She said her school was being accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges so she expected the students would get quality education. “If every school here is accredited by international school-governing bodies and quality education is assured, I believe that intellectually-inclined students will be the product of our hard work,” she said. Joyce believes Cambodia still welcomes more individuals who can contribute to the welfare of their people. Jennifer added that even though Filipino teachers’ main purpose in working in Cambodia is a better financial position, they “give their best” in their work. I think it’s in our culture to be patient and resilient. Moreover, Cambodians treat Filipinos with respect,” she said. She has seen some improvement with the educational system in that country, with the influx of outside help and foreigners who volunteer to help improve education in Cambodia. She said she and her husband are open to explore work opportunities in other countries but not in the next two to three years.

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