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An interview with Education Minister Hang Chuon Naron who explains his plans for Cambodia's education system.


It’s 8am on a Wednesday and Hang Chuon Naron, an economist who has been Cambodia’s education minister since 2013, has spent the past five minutes discussing the myriad ways in which artificial intelligence will change the world. After pondering the moral ambiguity of killer robots and the inevitable advances in the medical and legal worlds, he turns his attention to a more specific concern: the potentially devastating impact that the so-called ‘fourth industrial revolution’ will have on the country’s 700,000 garment workers.

“More and more machines will replace workers, especially in the factories because there are lots of standardised processes,” he says from behind his desk at the Ministry of Education, an Apple Watch protruding from the sleeves of a loose-fitting navy suit. “For Cambodia to catch up, our young people must improve their skills. Otherwise, they will not benefit from these technological breakthroughs. If they don’t work hard and don’t improve, their future will be denied.”...
Continued here: http://sea-globe.com/hang-chuon-naron/

Education receives 24% of the 6Bn dollar budget this year, very good news.

The Minister is very sharp, and speaks excellent English, great public speaker, he's also very resistant to corruption, he's the man to do it if anyone can.

March 16, 2018
Cambodian second graders behind in reading
One third or more of second graders in Cambodia are unable to read, a World Bank report published yesterday said.

The report, titled Growing Smarter: Learning and Equitable Development in East Asia and the Pacific, outlined what needs to be done in order to elevate education in East Asia and the Pacific.

“In Countries such as Cambodia and Timor-Leste, one-third or more of second graders were unable to read a single word on reading tests,” the report said.

The report urges a focus on four key areas: effective and equity-minded public spending; preparation of students for learning; selection and support of teachers; and the systematic use of assessments to inform instruction.

Oum Chantha, 26, a teacher at Chambork Kuy primary school in Svay Rieng province’s Svay Chrum district, said yesterday that she agreed with the World Bank report.
“It is not only the second graders who cannot read well, but the students at grade six cannot read well either,” she said.
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/50114360/ca ... n-reading/

What are they measuring?
Literacy with the latin alphabet, or khmer script, tetum or whatever? They are quite different difficulty levels.
Comparing mangos to coconuts.

finbar wrote: ↑Fri Mar 16, 2018 8:30 pm What are they measuring?
Literacy with the latin alphabet, or khmer script, tetum or whatever?
Mangoes to coconuts.

Local language I think.


http://www.worldbank.org/en/region/eap/ ... ia-pacific
https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/29365

It was Khmer. English is taught at a very basic level at stages in the Cambodian system, but it couldn't be assessed at international standards.

finbar wrote: ↑Fri Mar 16, 2018 8:30 pm What are they measuring?
Literacy with the latin alphabet, or khmer script, tetum or whatever? They are quite different difficulty levels.
Comparing mangos to coconuts.

The standard curriculum in primary schools in the early grades is Khmer script only. They start learning the alphabet in grade one, and gradually learn to read basic words in grade one and later in grade two. I am not surprised with the outcome. The Khmer script is pretty extensive and the time spent on actual learning is short.

Hope he puts some tangible actions to the money. Its more than just putting money into the system but thats a start

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Kammekor wrote: ↑Sun Mar 18, 2018 10:20 am The Khmer script is pretty extensive and the time spent on actual learning is short.

Much as I love the Khmer script, it has many disadvantages. A lot of kids here know their ABC's way before their Gor, Kor, Gher, etc.
Just think of the ABC song, then try and do a Khmer version, that would be tricky.
While I know there are many textbooks in Khmer any advanced learning requires knowledge of at least English or French.

^^ There is already a Khmer version of Gor, Kor, Gher, etc.