Opinion: Confucius Institute Enhances Chinese Language Education, Cultural Exchange in NW Cambodia

 

Please read from the Phnom Penh Post

Please read from the Cambodianess 

Confucius institutes have been playing a vital role in promoting Chinese language education and cultural exchanges, along with enhancing the quality of education in Cambodian higher education institutions for over a decade. Currently, four major Confucius institutes are operational in Cambodia. The first one was co-founded by Jiujiang University and the Royal Academy of Cambodia (CIRAC) on December 22, 2009, an organization that operates under the supervision of the Council of Ministers.

On December 26, 2019, the second Confucius Institute (CINUBB) was established by the Guilin University of Electronic Technology and the National University of Battambang, which is overseen by the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport. The Nanjing Vocational University of Industry Technology and the Federation of Khmer Chinese in Cambodia jointly established the fourth one at the Cambodian University of Technology and Science (CICamTech) in November 2022, which is also supervised by the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport.

On June 4, 2020, the fourth Chinese higher education institution was founded in Cambodia. Hainan University collaborated with the Royal University of Agriculture at the Royal University of Agriculture to establish the China-Indochina Research and Education Center for Sustainable Development (CIRUA). CIRUA operates under the supervision of the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries.

Besides CIRUA, other Chinese higher education institutions, such as Lanmei University of Cambodia and Cambodia-China University of Technology and Science, have also been established in Cambodia. China is promoting STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) diplomacy in Cambodia by supporting higher education in science, technology, and information and communication technology (ICT). This initiative reflects Chinese cooperation and contributes to the debate over China's international development model and its growing role as a global leader.

In addition, on April 25, 2018, former Prime Minister Hun Sen and former Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Xiong Bo jointly unveiled Kratie University. The university cost 12 million U.S. dollars, with 10 million coming from the Chinese government and the rest from the Kratie Foundation for Higher Education Organization.

According to the 2023 Southeast Asia Confucius Institutes Joint Conference report, Southeast Asia has 62 Confucius Institutes (classrooms) as of July 2023, with Thailand having the most at 23—the highest number in ASEAN. The size of the Chinese diaspora population and the perception that China's economic influence provides Mandarin speakers with more job opportunities are the most apparent reasons why Mandarin language learning has grown in popularity in ASEAN rather than in the West.

Southeast Asia is home to approximately 30 million of the estimated 40 million ethnic Chinese diaspora. While Confucius Institutes are lauded for their contributions to education and cultural exchange, they have also been criticized in several countries for concerns about academic freedom, propaganda, and influence operations. The perception and impact of these institutes vary significantly from one country to another. On the other hand, Cambodia can benefit from establishing Confucius institutes that can provide Chinese language education to students to increase employment and economic growth in Cambodia.

The Confucius Institute, a non-profit public educational organization affiliated with the People's Republic of China's Ministry of Education, is critical in promoting Chinese language education and cultural exchange in Cambodian higher education institutions. The Centre for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC) and the Chinese International Education Foundation (CIEF) provide technical and financial support for C.I.s around the world.

The Confucius Institute has seven significant roles. Firstly, its primary focus is on teaching the Chinese language to Cambodian students. It offers classes led by certified and experienced Chinese language instructors, ranging from beginner to advanced levels. This helps Cambodian students learn Chinese and prepares them for careers in business and diplomacy, where Chinese language proficiency is increasingly valued.

Secondly, besides teaching students, these institutes also frequently train Cambodian Chinese language teachers, contributing to developing a long-term model for Chinese language education in the country.

Thirdly, they organize and facilitate various cultural exchange programs, including Chinese cultural festivals, art exhibitions, music and dance performances, and other events that showcase Chinese culture. These events help enhance mutual understanding and cultural exchange between China and Cambodia.

Fourth, they provide resources such as books, journals, and electronic materials to support Chinese language education and offer scholarships or funding opportunities for Cambodian students to study in China, fostering educational exchanges.

Fifth, some Confucius Institutes engage in academic and research collaborations between Cambodian and Chinese higher education institutions. This includes joint research projects, conferences, seminars, and the exchange of academic staff and scholars.

Sixth, facilitating international collaboration: These institutes facilitate broader international collaboration and partnership in higher education by serving as a bridge between Chinese and Cambodian educational institutions.

Finally, promoting understanding of Chinese policies and developments: through various programs and seminars, the Confucius Institutes also provide insights into Chinese policies, economic developments, and societal changes, which is crucial for countries like Cambodia with strong economic and diplomatic ties with China.

In the meantime, I'd like to share an achievement of one of the Confucius Institutes in Cambodia, CINUBB. The institute has been instrumental in training Chinese language human resources in Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Siem Reap, and Phnom Penh, benefitting more than 6,165 students.

It has also helped to strengthen the friendship between the Kingdom of Cambodia and the People's Republic of China, which has a rich history. CINUBB has 21 full-time international Chinese language teachers, most of whom have bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degrees and extensive overseas teaching experience.

In collaboration with Battambang's Provincial Department of Education, Youth, and Sports, the Confucius Institute has established 18 Chinese language classes at some high schools, including Pich Chenda High School and Sdao Santepheap High School, as well as higher education institutions, the 5th Military Headquarter Region, and Chinese enterprises, providing Chinese language training at all levels. Currently, more than 200 students are pursuing a Bachelor of Chinese Literature degree at the National Universities of Battambang and Meanchey.

Over the last four years, the Confucius Institute has organized 160 cultural exchange activities and provided opportunities for Chinese language lovers in Cambodia to showcase their talents, including the Spring Festival, Zhuang Festival, Khmer New Year Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Cultural Experience Festival, and teaching activities, including a Chinese poetry recitation competition, a "Chinese Bridge" competition for university students, and a Chinese singing competition. These activities have served as a link between international Chinese language education in northwestern Cambodia and China, fostering cultural exchanges and promoting friendship between our two nations.

National and international media both report on these activities. In particular, the Confucius Institute at the National University of Battambang has received several outstanding awards from well-known Chinese newspapers. Regarding educational exchanges between China and Cambodia, the Confucius Institute is dedicated to enhancing Cambodia's national education system through exchanging knowledge and technology.  Cambodia's Minister of Education, Youth, and Sport, Hang Chuon Naron, and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia, Wang Wentian signed a memorandum of understanding on November 9, 2022, to pilot Chinese courses in some public schools, with implementation scheduled in 2023.

Furthermore, the Confucius Institute contributes to the success of the Belt and Road Initiative. On January 15, 2024, the National Institute of Education trained 100 Cambodian teachers who will teach Chinese in Cambodian public schools. As part of the first phase, 20 public secondary schools teach Chinese. More than 100 Cambodian educational institutions have trained more than 100,000 students in the Chinese language, according to the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport statement.

In the future, the Confucius Institute of the National University of Battambang will increase the number of Chinese classrooms and teaching sites open to public and private schools and enterprises, integrate Chinese with other related majors, do substantial work for students' employment, and improve their labour skills. CINUBB will contribute to achieving the Belt and Road Initiatives and mutual understanding of both leaders.

Remarkably, Prime Minister Hun Sen and President Xi Jinping signed an agreement on Cambodia-China relations and cooperation in February 2023, including the launch of the "Diamond Cooperation" and the establishment of the "Industrial and Technological Corridor" and "Fish and Rice Corridor." Prime Minister Hun Manet and Chinese leaders, especially President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, exchanged views on propelling the Year of People-to-People Exchange in 2024 into a productive year with concrete outcomes by attracting additional Chinese tourists and more direct flights from China to Cambodia, particularly Siem Reap.

The fish and rice corridor initiative aims to enhance agricultural trade between the two countries, focusing on products like fish, rice, tropical fruits, vegetables, and various agricultural inputs, including fertilizers, pesticides, and animal feed in northwestern Cambodia, particularly in the Tonle Sap Lake area, to develop modern ecological agriculture near Southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake by surface area.

Former Prime Minister Hun Sen announced on March 14, 2023, that the government had designated four provinces—Pursat, Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, and Pailin—as Cambodia's fourth economic pole. Cambodian Tourism Minister Sok Soken said the Southeast Asian country recorded 5.4 million international tourists, including some 540,000 Chinese tourists, in 2023. According to Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism, China was Cambodia's most significant source of international tourist arrivals in the pre-pandemic era.

The kingdom received 2.36 million Chinese tourists in 2019, accounting for 35.7 percent of the total international tourist arrivals and generating about 1.8 billion U.S. dollars in revenue. In conclusion, I firmly believe that C.I.s will continue to contribute to providing quality Chinese language education for Cambodians and to be a bridge to facilitate cultural and people-to-people exchanges for mutual benefits and Cambodia's economic growth, not only in Northwestern Cambodia but also in the whole country.

Sam Rany is a Vice-Rector of the National University of Battambang (NUBB) and Co-Director of the Confucius Institute of the National University of Battambang (CINUBB).

Youth corner: Sok Try

Dear Sam Rany,

Thank for your answer in the May 23 issue of LIFT regarding how to stay green with my bike in Phnom Penh.

So far, I’ve found my own solution to keep my solar-powered bike. Luckily, I have found a parking place nearby. Now, if I want to, I can carry my battery to a charging point. Of course, difficulties still remain. It’s hard to take out the battery in the rain and the box containing the battery is fragile.
Most importantly, I’m saving money on gas and I’m not emitting any gas or noise pollution.

It’s nice to drive so silently.

I’m getting up to a five-hour drive after charging the battery for six hours.

Regards,

Sok Try

Letter to editor: Sam Rany, Phnom Penh Post

Dear LIFT,

I had great pleasure in reading Mr Lim Sovannarith’s feedback, position and valued comments about my letter on May 30, 2012. I highly appreciate his fascinating insight into academic research activities, and I recognise some crucial problems that could impact Cambodia’s academic freedom. I support the development of research in the social sciences in our universities. However, I still believe that there are many obstacles facing students conducting this research in particular. The main problems could be impacted on the validity and quality of research findings including human resources, lecturers or academicians’ research capacity, facilities, library resources and financial support. I’ve observed that most universities select only outstanding students to write their thesis in accordance with institutional capacity, while some universities have required all students to write their thesis without thinking about the ratio between students and supervisors as well as their institutional capacity.

Ultimately, I would like to ask some questions: What are the consequences of this academic\ crisis? How many lecturers hold PhD degree in each university? What facilities can offer resources to research students? How many academic papers and textbooks do lecturers publish per year? Why do most universities select so few students to write a thesis?

Sam Rany

Letter send to editor: Feedbak Sam Rany

Dear LIFT,

I am writing to respond to Sam Rany’s letter from the May 23, 2012 issue that attempted to legitimise the ban by the Royal University of Law and Economics on certain graduate thesis topics.

As far as academic freedom is concerned, I was shocked when I read Sam Rany’s letter that tried to justify RULE’s unacceptable ban. The three justifications he used were (1) to prevent graduate students from facing difficulties when doing their thesis on the stock market, because of their limited English proficiency; (2) to avoid the situation that these students will not have supervisors with sufficient qualifications and expertise on the subject-matter; and finally (3) as the result of (1) and (2), to avoid having potential findings of the research that can be misleading, thus negatively causing ‘internal backlash’.

My position is the ban is not in any way appropriate in the academic world.

First, limited English proficiency amongst graduate students across Cambodia is a common barrier in their academic life. Banning research topics that are to be written in English is no solution to this problem. A possible solution one can imagine of is to allow the students to write their thesis in Khmer.

Secondly, graduate students should work on a thesis topic to be supervised by a supervisor who has adequate expertise of that chosen topic. If a university is not able to provide academic support for students to work on certain areas, the university should instead guide those students to work on their research for which the university could provide support.

Thirdly, while research generally generates findings for implications and applications of certain matters, it does not work like math. In a natural society, there can be many studies on one same topic and these studies can also reveal different, and sometimes contradicting, results, if they are accurate at all. Yet that society will not collapse. Rany’s concern about negative internal backlash to be caused by some inaccurate research findings is nothing but groundless.

If Rany’s proposed justifications for the ban are possible at all, I would like to pose a question — why was the ban made for only certain thesis topics as all of Rany’s justifications will apply to virtually all research topics or areas?

Sovannarith Lim
Teacher Educator, Department of English Royal University of Phnom Penh

Letter to Editor: Sam Rany

Dear LIFT,

Having read your article “Should university take stock in your thesis?” (LIFT 121, May 9, 2012), I would like to contribute my personal comments in response. Last February, most mass media and social communication networks had broadcasted and discussed Royal University of Law and Economic’s official announcement prohibiting their students from pursuing certain research topics for their graduation thesis. At that time, some scholars and civil societies considered this as controversial, citing political motivation as a violation of academic freedom. However, I think there are legitimate reasons behind RULE’s ban on certain topics that need to be considered. To begin with, Cambodian students will face many problems with their English proficiency because most documents related to these subjects are written in English. For example, the stock market is a new economic phenomenon in Cambodia. Most universities are lacking library resources with updated documents, textbooks and modern facilities. Students cannot access internet services to download e-books and academic journal papers.

Also, Cambodian universities have a shortage of qualified academics on these subjects who can supervise students’ theses in conformity with international standards. RULE doesn’t have research university status in Cambodia because of the constraints of low public financial support and incentives. Finally, research findings on these banned topics could be wrong, due to the lack of available resources, thereby leading people and organisations to believe information that’s false. Some findings, which may not be true, could cause a negative internal backlash, as well as disturb social stability and even breach confidentiality.

Sam Rany

Sam Rany is a graduate of law at RULE and currently a PhD Candidate at the Universiti Sains Malaysia’s School of Educational Studies.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012052356339/LIFT/letter-to-the-editor.html

 

រដ្ឋាភិបាល​គួរ​រៀន​សូត្រ​បទ​ពិសោធ​នៃ​ការ​បណ្តេញ​ចេញ

លោក​និពន្ធ​នាយក​ជាទី​គោរព​រាប់​អាន!
 
តាម ការ​ពិនិត្យ​សង្កេត​របស់​ខ្ញុំ  មាន​ប្រព័ន្ធ​ផ្សព្វផ្សាយ​ជាតិ និង​អន្តរជាតិ​ជា​ច្រើន​ បាន​ចុះ​ផ្សាយ​យ៉ាង​ព្រោង​ព្រាត​ ស្ទើរ​តែ​ពេញ​សប្តាហ៍​ទីមួយ​ នៃ​ខែ​មករា​នេះ  អំពី​ហេតុការណ៍​នៃ​ការ​បណ្តេញ​ចេញ​ដោយ​បង្ខំ និង​អំពើ​ហិង្សា​ រវាង​អាជ្ញាធរ​មាន​សមត្ថកិច្ច​កម្ពុជា  និង​អតីត​ប្រជា​ពលរដ្ឋ​រស់​នៅ​ប្លុក​បុរី​កីឡា​។ ជាពិ​សេស​សារ​ព័ត៌​មាន​ភ្នំពេញ​បុស្តិ៍ ច្បាប់​ចេញ​ផ្សាយ​ថ្ងៃ​ទី ៥ ខែ មករា ឆ្នាំ ២០១២ ក្រោម​ចំណង​ជើង​ថា ( អ្នក​បុរី​កីឡា ២០០ គ្រួសារ​ត្រូវ​បាន​ជម្លៀស​ទៅ​ទីតាំង​ថ្មី ខណៈ​អ្នក​ខ្លះ​ទៀត​នាំ​ចូល​តុលាការ​) និង​ច្បាប់​ចេញ​ផ្សាយ​ថ្ងៃ​ទី ៦ ខែ មករា ឆ្នាំ ២០១២ ក្រោម​ចំណង​ជើងថា (អ្នក​បុរី​កីឡា សុំ​អន្តរាគមន៍​ពី​ទូត​មហា​អំណាច​)។

ក្រោយ​ពី​បាន​អាន​អត្ថបទ​ទាំង​ ពីនេះ​ហើយ ខ្ញុំ​មាន​អារម្មណ៍​អាណិត​អាសូរ​ជា​ពន់ពេក ដល់​ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ​ដែល​រងគ្រោះ​ទាំង​អស់ រួម​ទាំង​អ្នក​រង​របួស និង​អ្នក​ដែល​ត្រូវ​បាន​តុលាការ​កាត់​ទោស ជា​ពិសេស ​នោះ គឺ​ក្រុម​កុមារា-កុមារី។ ជា​ការ​កត់​សម្គាល់​របស់​ខ្ញុំ​ក្រោយ​ហេតុ​ការណ៍​នេះ  ខ្ញុំ​មាន​ទស្សន​ប្រហាក់​ប្រហែល​នឹង​បញ្ញា​វ័ន្ត​ខ្មែរ  អ្នក​នយោបាយ​ខ្មែរ និង​សង្គម​ស៊ីវិល​ជាតិ​ និង​អន្តរជាតិ​មួយ​ចំនួន ដែល​ពួក​គេ​បាន​សម្តែង​នូវ​ការ​ព្រួយ​បារម្ភ​ចំពោះ​ចំណាត់​ការ​របស់​ រដ្ឋាភិបាល ក្នុង​ការ​បណ្តេញ​ចេញ​ដោយ​អំពើ​ហិង្សា​នេះ។

ជា​ការ​ពិត ខ្ញុំ​ទទួល​ស្គាល់​ថា រាល់​ការ​អភិវឌ្ឍ​ទាំង​អស់​នៅ​លើ​ពិភពលោក​យើង​នេះ តែង​តែ​មាន​ផល​ប៉ះ​ពាល់ និង​ការ​ប៉ះ​ទង្គិច​ដោយ​ចៀស​មិន​រួច​រវាង​អាជ្ញាធរ​រដ្ឋាភិបាល និង​ប្រជា​ពលរដ្ឋ​មូលដ្ឋាន​។ តាម​រយៈ​នយោបាយ ឯកជន​ភាវូបនីយកម្ម ឬ សេដ្ឋកិច្ច​ទីផ្សារ​សេរី ប្រទេស​កម្ពុជា បាន​នឹង​កំពុង​តែ​ខិតខំ​ប្រឹងប្រែង​យ៉ាង​សកម្ម​ ក្នុង​ការ​អភិវឌ្ឍ សំណង់​អគារ​សាធារណៈ ​និង​ឯកជន ព្រម​ទាំង​ហេដ្ឋារចនា​សម្ព័ន្ធ​ជាតិ​ជា​ច្រើន​កន្លែង ពាស​ពេញ​ផ្ទៃ​ប្រទេស​។ នៅ​ក្នុង​បរិបទ​នេះ តើ​រដ្ឋាភិបាល​គួរ​មាន​យន្ត​ការ ឬ​គោល​នយោបាយ​ឈ្នះ ឈ្នះ អ្វី​ខ្លះ ដើម្បី​ផ្តល់​អោយ​តួអង្គ ដែល​ជាប់​ពាក់ព័ន្ធ​ក្នុង​អធិករណ៍​នេះ អាច​ទទួល​យក​បាន​ដោយ​ការ​ពេញ​ចិត្ត​ពេញ​ថ្លើម​?

ចម្លើយ ​ចំពោះ​សំណួរ​នេះ​ គឺ​រដ្ឋាភិបាល គួរ​ពិចារណា​ឡើង​វិញ ពី​បទពិសោធ​ដ៏​ជូរ​ចត់​នា​ពេល​អតីត​កាល និង​គួរ​រៀន​សូត្រ​អំពី​បទពិសោធ​ល្អៗ នៃ​បណ្តា​ប្រទេស​ជិត​ខាង​របស់​យើង។ តើ​បទ​ពិសោធ​ជូរចត់​ជា​អ្វី? វា​សំដៅ​ទៅ​លើ​រាល់​សកម្មភាព ឬ​ចំណាត់​ការ​ប្រកប​ដោយ​អំពើ​ហិង្សា​ធ្ងន់ធ្ងរ​ប៉ះពាល់​ដល់​សិទ្ធិ​មនុស្ស ប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ និង​នីតិរដ្ឋ​។ តើ​វា​ផ្តល់​ផល​វិបាក​អ្វីខ្លះ​ដល់​សង្គម​ជាតិ​យើង? វា​បាន​ប៉ះពាល់​យ៉ាង​ដំណំ ដល់​កិត្តិសព្ទ​ជាតិ​យើង​ នៅ​លើ​ឆាក​អន្តរជាតិ​ និង​ផ្តល់​ឱកាស​អោយ​បណ្តា​ប្រទេស​មហា​អំណាច​មួយ​ចំនួន ដាក់​គំនាប ឬ​ជ្រៀត​ជ្រែក​មក​លើ​អធិបតេយ្យ​ភាព​ជាតិ​យើង។ តួ​យ៉ាង តាម​រយៈ​ប្រព័ន្ធ​ផ្សព្វផ្សាយ​អន្តរជាតិ​ ធ្វើ​អោយ​សាធារណៈ​មតិ​អន្តរ​ជាតិ វាយតម្លៃ​ពី​ស្ថានភាព​អវិជ្ជាមាន​ទាំង​ឡាយ និង​មាន​ទស្សន​មិន​ល្អ​មក​លើ​កម្ពុជា។ ជាង​នេះ​ទៀត ខ្មែរ​យើង​នៅ​ពេល​ដែល​មាន​វិវាទ​ដោះ​ស្រាយ​ជាមួយ​គ្នា​មិន​ចេញ​លទ្ធផល យើង​តែង​តែ​រត់​ទៅ​រក​កិច្ច​អន្តរាគមន៍​ពី​ជន​បរទេស​ជាក់​ស្តែង​ដូច​ជា អ្នក​បុរី​កីឡា​ជាដើម​។

ទង្វើ​នេះ បាន​ធ្វើ​អោយ​បរទេស​មើល​ងាយ និង​អាច​ធ្វើ​អោយ​ប៉ះពាល់​ដល់​មោទនភាព​របស់​ជាតិ​យើង។ តើ​យើង​គួរ​រៀន​សូត្រ​បទ​ពិសោធ​ពី​បណ្តា​ប្រទេស​ជិត​ខាង​របស់​យើង​អ្វី​ ខ្លះ? ករណី​ដូច​ជា​នៅ​ប្រទេស ម៉ាឡេស៊ី ឥណ្ឌូនេស៊ី និង សិង្ហបុរី មុន​នឹង​រដ្ឋាភិបាល​សម្រេច​បណ្តេញ​ប្រជា​ពលរដ្ឋ​ចេញ​ពី​តំបន់​ដែល​ពួក​គេ​ រស់​នៅ ដើម្បី​ធ្វើការ​អភិវឌ្ឍ អ្វី​មួយ គេ​បាន​រៀប​ចំ​ហេដ្ឋា​រចនា​សម្ព័ន្ធ​នៅ​ទីតាំង​ថ្មី​រួច​ជា​ស្រេច ដូច​ជា​សាលា​រៀន​ មន្ទីរ​ពេទ្យ ផ្លូវ​ថ្នល់ ទីអារាម ទឹក ភ្លើង អគារ​រស់​នៅ ដើម្បី​អោយ​ប្រជាជន​ប្តូរ​ទៅ​កាន់​ទីតាំង​ថ្មី​នេះ។ លើស​ពី​នេះ​ទៅ​ទៀត គេ​បាន​ធ្វើ​គោល​នយោបាយ និង​ប៉ះប៉ូវ​សំណង​ផ្លូវ​ច្បាប់​សមស្រប ដល់​ប្រជាជន​របស់​គេ ដើម្បី​ចៀស​វាង​អធិករណ៍ ជាយ​ថាហេតុ​ណា​មួយ​កើត​ឡើង​។ តើ​កម្ពុជា​យើង​អាច​ធ្វើ​បាន​ដែរ​ឬទេ? ចំណុច​សំខាន់​គឺ​ឆន្ទៈ​នយោបាយ។
សរុប​សេក្តី​មក រដ្ឋាភិបាល​ គួរ​តែ​ពិចារណា​ឡើង​វិញ​ ចំពោះ​មេរៀន​ពី​អតីត​កាល និង​ខិតខំ​រិះរក​ដំណោះស្រាយ​នយោបាយ​ឈ្នះៗ ដើម្បី​ផល​ប្រយោជន៍​ជាតិ និង​ប្រជាជន​របស់​ខ្លួន។ ប្រជាជន​កម្ពុជា​បាន​ឆ្លង​កាត់​សោដ​នាដកម្ម​នៃ​ភ្លើង​សង្រ្គាម និង​អស្ថិរភាព​នយោបាយ​អស់​ជាច្រើន​ទសសវត្សរ៍​កន្លង​មក​ហើយ ដូច​នេះ ពួក​គេ​គួរ​តែ​រស់​នៅ​អោយ​បាន​សម​សួន​ថ្លៃថ្នូរ​ ក្នុង​ឋានៈ​ជា​ប្រជាជន​មួយ​ដែល​ធ្លាប់​មាន​អារ្យធម៌​រុងរឿង​នា​សម័យ អង្គរ​ដ៏​បវរ​របស់​យើង។ រដ្ឋាភិបាល​គួរ​តែ​ពិចារណា​ផង​ដែរ​ នូវ​អនុសាសន៍​ល្អ​ៗ ពី​សំណាក់​សង្គម​ស៊ីវិល និង​ឥស្សរជន​នយោបាយ​ផ្សេងៗ។

ខ្ញុំ​មាន​សេចក្តី​សង្ឃឹម​យ៉ាង​មុតមាំ ទៅ​លើ​កម្មវិធី​នយោបាយ​របស់​រដ្ឋាភិបាល​។ ខ្ញុំ​ជឿជាក់​ថា ឆ្នាំ​ថ្មី​នេះ រដ្ឋាភិបាល​នឹង​ធ្វើ​កំណែ​ទម្រង់​គោល​នយោបាយ​បន្ថែម​ទៀត ដែល​ផ្តល់​ឧត្តម​ប្រយោជន៍​ដល់​ជាតិ និង​ប្រជាជន​កម្ពុជា​ទាំង​អស់ ឲ្យ​ស័ក្តិសម​ជា​ប្រទេស​កំពុង​បន្ត​ដំណែង ក្នុង​ឋានៈ​ជា​ប្រធាន​សមាគម​ប្រជា​ជាតិ​អាស៊ី​អាគ្នេយ៍៕​

សូម​លោក​និពន្ធ​នាយក មេត្តា​ទទួល​នូវ​ការ​គោរព​រាប់អាន​អំពី​ខ្ញុំ។
សំ រ៉ានី បេក្ខជន​បណ្ឌិត នៃ​សាកល​វិទ្យាល័យ​វិទ្យាសាស្រ្ត​ម៉ាឡេស៊ី (USM)
http://www.postkhmer.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71287:2012-01-09-21-26-29&catid=23:letter-to-editor&Itemid=85

Letter Send to Editor of the Cambodia Daily

Letter Send to Editor of the Cambodia Daily

by Sam Rany on Tuesday, February 22, 2011 at 7:37am

Dear Mr. Kevin Doyle,

Having read your article titled on “Battambang University Rector Accused of Corruption” (page 13, February 20-21, 2011), I would like to express my deeper concern over the internal conflict of interests between the rector and some lecturers at this university. This conflict can be affected its reputation to attract the prospective students who will enroll in coming year. Moreover, it can be impacted on the glory of current higher education institutions (HEIs) in our beloved country.

I recognized that University of Battambang (UBB) is a top public university that just newly inaugurated under presided over by Prime Minister Hun Sen at the end of 2010. Presently, the numbers of students have dramatically increased every academic year because of high quality of education and leadership. Enrollment has jumped to 5,080 in only three years. As a new beginning, it normally faced some problems with the administrative and financial management. I strongly hope that everything will be resolved in step by step.

As a Cambodian Catholic and civil servant at the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport (MoEYS), I would like contribute my personal recommendation to the relevant parties in this dispute as following:

1. Conflicted parties shouldn't revenge their parties through using any claims or reasons against someone in the purpose of personal interests. All parties should join hand together to develop their university in the spirit of solidarity, love, patience, common sense, and public interest. They must deeper understand that university where the place to educate all kinds of human resources in conformity with the Royal Government of Cambodia’s policy. They should be considerate that university is a central heart of Cambodian intellectuals and students to learn, to exchange, and share experiences, knowledge, and good models as well. Also, they must always remember that they are educators in the higher education.

2. Conflict parties should immediately stop using verbal attacks such as corruption, intimidation, labor exploitation, partisanship, and mismanagement via any mass media and complaints to reveal their weakness in the public. They should conduct face to face negotiation in order to find the best resolution to end this dispute. It can help them to win the public's confidence, particularly the Royal Government of Cambodian, students, and people. Success in this endeavor would be their most enduring legacy to their nation and university.

3. Relevant ministries and institutions should pay attention and take an affordable measure to find the trust and resolution on this conflict. It would be impossible without the peaceful intervention of these entities. Mediation or conciliation method should be used in the principle of win, win policies.

At the end, I would like to express my most profound and admiration for your very nobel, very just and very courageous struggle for the freedom of expression in Cambodian in accordance with your slogan stated that “All the News Without Fear or Favor.”

Please accept my highest consideration.

Thank you in advanced,

Yours sincerely,


Sam Rany