prahkeitouj wrote:

Username Taken wrote:

Soi Dog wrote:It sounds like at least some NGOs are trying to do their bit to help education in Cambodia by providing the textbooks. Is it certain it was some greedy government lackey who sold those textbooks to the market vendor, or could it have been some student's families who sold them? Just asking.

You can buy those books at any roadside bookseller (outside any govt school). If you can read Khmer, it clearly says on them that they are Not For Sale.

It was in the past, we had this problem. Now they are not allowed to sale the books from govt " Not For Sale" on the market.

Believe me, the problem is not just in the past.

StroppyChops wrote:

prahkeitouj wrote:

Username Taken wrote:

Soi Dog wrote:It sounds like at least some NGOs are trying to do their bit to help education in Cambodia by providing the textbooks. Is it certain it was some greedy government lackey who sold those textbooks to the market vendor, or could it have been some student's families who sold them? Just asking.

You can buy those books at any roadside bookseller (outside any govt school). If you can read Khmer, it clearly says on them that they are Not For Sale.

It was in the past, we had this problem. Now they are not allowed to sale the books from govt " Not For Sale" on the market.

Believe me, the problem is not just in the past.

I don't saw it at the market for few years. Even students can borrow books from library too ,but still not enough. The problem is where those books go? My friends and I ever contributed some books to library in the rural schools, but we couldn't deal with big problem.

Soi Dog wrote:

Username Taken wrote:

Soi Dog wrote:It sounds like at least some NGOs are trying to do their bit to help education in Cambodia by providing the textbooks. Is it certain it was some greedy government lackey who sold those textbooks to the market vendor, or could it have been some student's families who sold them? Just asking.

You can buy those books at any roadside bookseller (outside any govt school). If you can read Khmer, it clearly says on them that they are Not For Sale.

I get that part. Seems like those books were sold regardless. But Taabarang claims it was some school officials who sold the books to the market vendors. I'm just asking if possibly those books were given out to students, and the students or their families sold them.

It is really unlikely and close to impossible that all of those books were sold by the students or their families.

^Okay. So how much are those same textbooks being sold for at the market?

prahkeitouj wrote:

Username Taken wrote:

Soi Dog wrote:It sounds like at least some NGOs are trying to do their bit to help education in Cambodia by providing the textbooks. Is it certain it was some greedy government lackey who sold those textbooks to the market vendor, or could it have been some student's families who sold them? Just asking.

You can buy those books at any roadside bookseller (outside any govt school). If you can read Khmer, it clearly says on them that they are Not For Sale.

It was in the past, we had this problem. Now they are not allowed to sale the books from govt " Not For Sale" on the market.

My wife had to buy all of the grade 7 books for my son from the market in Kampong Cham. Since the books are sold in large quantities they are coming from the ministry of education; the parents could not amass that many books. If the NGOs were selling them the ministry would have complained because a source of their finances were cut off. Still not a problem little money? Sorry, but if you or your younger relatives need some, go to the market in Kampong Cham. I believe the average price was around 7,000 riels per paperback book. Maybe things are squeaky clean in Phnom Penh, but not in rural areas.

Duncan said, "The best school rooms are not made of bricks and mortar, but under a mango tree with natural aircon and sun lighting, or at home.

In this day and age , I don't think it is necessary for kids to know EVERYTHING"

First, I don't think that your shade tree scenario would be very effective in rainy season, second there is no danger that the kids will learn everything, it is simply questionable that they are learning enough.
That parents should play an important role is certainly true in our case, however most impoverished and uneducated parents are neither capable of helping their children nor do they even see the need for it. Nor do they have sufficient funds to buy a computer or have funds to link up to the net. There will be more about that in a future post. I think it should be clear to expats living in the larger cities, all three of them that they are completely out of the problems that plague the rural populations on this issue.

As my ''good friend '' Tony Abbott would say, it is a lifestyle choice if people want to live in a area where there are no modern facilities, which is why most of the kids will, when they grow up, move to the bigger cities to where there are university's etc. It's just a pity that parents don't realize that and make the move sooner for the sake of the kids education.

Choices

Soi Dog wrote:^Okay. So how much are those same textbooks being sold for at the market?

I have never bought it. I think it is probably 2 to 2.5 buck.

Samouth, how is this for an idea... if the Ministry of Education is so corrupt as to sell the donated textbooks...and if the NGO who provided those books is so incompetent and disinterested that they do not follow through and make sure those books actually go to children (or stay in the schools, or whatever normal procedure is) then how about YOU start a project to receive donated textbooks and give them directly to poor students yourself (along with other concerned Khmer volunteers), funded through some existing crowdsourcing website geared toward charitable giving? If your involvement leads to a better job with another NGO or if your project takes off and you turn it into and official NGO which eventually provides you a livable salary for your efforts as well, then it's a win-win.

I think it was Gandhi who said "Be the change that you wish to see in the world".

Soi Dog wrote:Samouth,... "Be the change that you wish to see in the world".

Bravo.

In my daily life I have a lot of Khmer telling me what to do to fix their country - when I ask what they are doing to fix their country, they stare at me blankly.

From one of my team: "Stroppy, that woman there really needs money to [sick cow | relative | wedding | …] "

Stroppy: "Cool. I'm glad you're caring for your community. How much of your monthly wage do you want to give to her?"

Team: "Say what, now?"

Duncan wrote:As my ''good friend '' Tony Abbott would say, it is a lifestyle choice if people want to live in a area where there are no modern facilities, which is why most of the kids will, when they grow up, move to the bigger cities to where there are university's etc. It's just a pity that parents don't realize that and make the move sooner for the sake of the kids education.

You could just imagine Abbott saying something like that if he was minister for education here