To the editor,
I just want to take one small step in offering some ideas
for Cambodian education system. Some of your articles are the sweetest news from
home; however, some of them are very sad and there is not much I can do from
here. I always think of some small thing that I can do to help improve the
quality of life in the schools I attended - Takeo Elementary, Junior High,
Senior High and law school. On 5 Feb. 1995, my friends and I met Mr. Lim Sour,
President of Khmer Student Association (KSA), to learn more about student life
in Cambodia. Per his descriptions, it is not much changed from the
70s.
One thing I learnt from this meeting is that all classes are only
offered during weekdays. From my past experience as a law school student in
Phnom Penh and in college in America, if there are some minor adjustments in
timing of offering courses, both students and college will probably gain more
benefits. For example, the college will make day, night, weekend and summer
classes available. If the Universities can offer the latter, maybe more people
who are now working in government or private industry can pursue higher
education as part time students. This way, students will have opportunity to
study while working to gain experience and progress to a college degree at the
same time. Some may take longer to finish their degree, but at least they will
have opportunity to get an education to better their life. In addition to the
above, maybe the government and private industry employees can teach on a part
time basis when it is convenient to them.
Mr.Lim Sour told us that many
talented students cannot afford to stay in college due to the high cost of
living in Phnom Penh. The schools cannot afford to offer any more classes
either. But, if everyone can pay a little for tuition, the schools may be able
to pay for part and full time teachers to teach more classes. For those talented
students who can not afford to pay, the college will seek funds such as
government student loans, grants and scholarships at home and abroad to support
them. The rich country like the United States still asks the student to pay
tuition for college classes.
These are not my ideas. They are in fact
routinely used in America. My friends and I and possibly many other Cambodians
in America may be able to offer some teaching without charge in areas such as
engineering (civil, chemical, electrical, mechanical), computer science,
advanced mathematics, physics, chemistry, banking, statistics and laboratory
practices in both colleges and high schools if the schedules of the classes
would fit the schedule of their work in America. We will try to accommodate the
class schedule in Cambodia if we can plan at least six months ahead.
I
welcome any comment or suggestions from students and school administrations for
what Cambodian Americans can do to provide higher education to all Cambodians to
use all their potential.
- Sokhom Phann, BelAir, California, USA.
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