Ministry-led education policy forum spurs dialogue over strategy, reforms
THE Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport in collaboration with Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI) have arranged the first Cambodia Education Policy Forum under the theme Education Reform and Training from March 2-4 to discuss policy reforms and strategy in education.
This forum was conducted online and presided over by minister Hang Chuon Naron with approximately 500 participants attending, including representatives of relevant ministries and institutions, education department directors and teachers.
Chuon Naron said this forum was for people to discuss and analyse strategies, policies and priority reforms and provide input for discussion on key reforms at the Educational Conference 2021.
“This forum is focused on four key areas of education reform such as teacher education, management, digital education, and post Covid-19 adaptation. I sincerely hope that everybody will participate and benefit from this educational forum,” he said.
CDRI acting executive director Eng Netra said the Education Policy Forum reflected the cooperation between the ministry and CDRI, as well as the good cooperation of the two working groups.
She added the forum would address key government priorities as set out in the Education Strategic Plan 2019-2023.
“Everyone’s participation in today’s forum will provide input for discussions on key education reforms at the education conference that we plan to hold this year, as well as the development of education policy documents in the coming years,” she said.
Bo Chankulika, director of the education ministry’s Department of Policy, expressed her views at the forum including the vision for Cambodia to achieve to become a high middle income country by 2030 and a high income country by 2050. The government has launched a number of education reform policies.
She added that these include the approval of teacher policies, teacher policy action plans, policies and frameworks on regular professional development for educators in all areas of the teaching profession and the reform of teacher training institutions.
She said that since the implementation of all these reforms, the education system still faced challenges, such as students dropping out of school, class repetition, and students’ fundamental abilities are still low compared to the same level with countries in the region and in the world. School budgets are also still limited, mismatched between skills and labour market needs, lack of quality training and effective school management.
“The education forum will provide orientation and prioritisation of reforms and solutions to the above issues to achieve the 2030 education reform strategy and 2050 education vision,” she said.
THE Apsara National Authority (ANA) has urged farmers living in the Angkor area to grow dry-season rice crops once per year only to reduce risks of water overuse that could drain too much water from the crucial West Baray.
The West Baray is one of the largest hand-cut reservoirs ever constructed, dating back to the 11th century.
Tim Chhom, technical officer of the ANA’s Department of Water Management, said West Baray has a number of important roles. It helps prevent flooding and supplies water to farmers in five communes of Siem Reap town and four communes of Puok district.
It also serves as a clean water source for the Siem Reap Water Supply Authority and supplies groundwater to keep the water stable and the land from subsiding, which helps to protect the temple’s foundations and facilitates groundwater flow to people in the area.
He said West Baray was also important for the farming community who use its water in the irrigation system.
According to Chhom, the presence of a farming community near Angkor Wat was established long ago, but in 2014 the government handed over the management of it to the ANA, which then continued the water distribution work for the farmers.
Chhom said that now, however, ANA officials have grown concerned with the farmers’ overuse of water to grow dry-season rice crops multiple times.
He said the ANA had already provided enough water to supply the farmers – that is until they expanded their rice fields, which causes demand for water to keep increasing.
“Before the ANA’s management, the total area of these farmers’ rice fields were only 13,000ha. But now the later dryseason rice [under cultivation] was actually double,” he said.
“Because of this, the ANA calls on all farmers to grow irrigated rice crops only once per year and then grow cash crops after that instead to reduce the risks to the West Baray water supply, because the water must fill many roles and [too much farming] will lead to water shortages for everyone in the area,” he said.
“Whether officials open the water gate more than once in a year depends on the available water supply. We also try to explain to the farmers that they must try to grow crops at the same time so that we can release water just once for all of them. We try to avoid releasing the water many times because that could waste it,” Chhom added.
Sok Mok, chief of the community of farmers using the West Baray irrigation system, told The Post on March 2 that farmers’ yields from the use of the West Baray water this year had improved. He said the result was due to farmers receiving sufficient water easily and in a timely manner.
“There are still people who are used to farming twice a year, growing both dry-season rice and rainy-season rice crops. Farmers who do grow twice are often those fortunate enough
Without the irrigation water we cannot do dry-season crops so this field depends entirely on [access to] West Baray
to be living along a canal or water source. Those who are far from water sources depend on rainfall, which is uncertain and the second harvest may be fruitless,” he explained.
Chea Mounch, a farmer in Ta Chett village of Puok district’s Samrong Yea commune, said that this year his 5ha of rice fields had provided yields worth about 15 million riel ($3,600).
“Without the irrigation water, we cannot do dry-season crops so this field depends entirely on West Baray,” he said.
THE Ministry of Commerce has invited businesses that wish to export to China to join a three-day virtual and inperson expo set to be held in eastern China’s Shandong province from April 27-29.
Cambodian businesses can promote their products virtually at no service charge, the ministry said in an announcement, while inviting Chinese firms that export Cambodian products to the event to build up their portfolios.
The 2021 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) International Investment and Trade
Expo will be held at Fangyuan Sport Center in Jiaozhou, Qingdao, the ministry said.
“The trade fair aims to showcase and promote general consumer products, including those in energy, finance, logistics, education, tourism and related sectors, as well as China’s international investment projects,” it added.
Cambodia Chamber of Commerce vice-president Lim Heng told The Post that exhibition events as a general rule are a positive for trade and the national economy.
He said participation will enable Cambodia to receive new orders, secure Chinese direct investment and fuel tourism growth.
“Through this event, the participating Cambodian companies will have the opportunity to introduce their new wares to attendees and will be able to place orders directly,” Heng said.
He stressed, however, that setting up events domestically is also an important strategy to draw in more foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Kingdom.
Hong Vanak, director of International Economics at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said China organises and hosts scores of such exhibitions every year – 2020 notwithstanding – and each event marks a fighting chance for the Kingdom to showcase its wares and win more orders.
“The fair is of the first magnitude and will bring loads of benefits to Cambodian and Chinese traders,” he said.
He cautioned, however, that the Kingdom must also take the quality of its products into serious consideration if it wants to foster a strong market.
Ministry spokesman Seang Thay said this is the first time Cambodia has been invited to take part in SCO’s International Investment and Trade Expo.
The trade fair is more tailored towards Shanghai-based companies with operations and investments abroad, he said, noting that no Cambodian firms have informed the ministry of their interest in the event since the announcement was issued on February 23.
SCO, the event’s organiser, “was established as a multilateral association to ensure security and maintain stability across the vast Eurasian region, join forces to counteract emerging challenges and threats, and enhance trade, as well as cultural and humanitarian cooperation”, according to Rashid Alimov, a former secretary-general who also served as Tajikistan’s foreign minister in 1992-1994.