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NGO Statement, 2000 Consultative Group Meeting On Cambodia


 EDUCATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS


NGO Statement to the 2000 Consultative Group Meeting on Cambodia

- Home.................................
- About us.............................
- Message.............................

- Introduction........................
- Progress.............................
- Good Governance................
- Human Resource 
- Development
......................
- Reaching the Poor...............
- Conclusion..........................

Sectoral Papers..................

- Agriculture..........................
- Child’s Rights....................
- Commune Administration 
- and Decentralization
............
- Commune Elections..........
- Disability and Rehabilitation..
- Education.........................
- Fisheries.............................
- Forestry Reform..................
- Gender and Development.....
- Good Governance................
- Health................................
- HIV/AIDS...........................
- Human Rights......................
- Landmines..........................
- Land Reform.......................
- Microfinance........................
- Weapons Reduction.............

General NGO Information...

References.........................

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


INTRODUCTION

Human resource development and capacity building are at the core of any development strategy. Because of Cambodia's tragic history, issues in the provision of education are complex and serious. The NGO community involved in education applauds the present stance of the Royal Government of Cambodia and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, (MoEYS) as they move toward a policy-driven, sector-wide program approach toward educational issues. The past two decades have seen the system rise appreciably from "the year zero"; the depth of the losses makes the achievements even more notable and the government is to be congratulated.

KEY ISSUES

  • Allocation of resources
    It is time, for the RGC to make hard choices about the allocation of scarce resources. There have been promises over the last several years about raising the percentage of spending for education to 15 percent of GDP; in fact, the rate continues to decline. (cf Table 1) Parental/ community contributions as well as donor/NGO financing make up close to 75 percent of real costs for primary education. This is not an acceptable level of government effort even if these external contributions are incorporated into school and provincial income within a regulatory frame- work.

  • High rate of repetition and drop out
    Government statistics, backed up by observations by NGOs in the field, show an extremely high rate of repetition and dropout, especially in grades one and two. (cf. tables 2 and 3) These are the short-term priority issues to be addressed in any government programs assisted by bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors together with NGOs who are working to improve the quality of education in Cambodia. These groups seek partnership with government as we work together to create an education system that will bring Cambodia into relative parity with ASEAN countries.

  • HIV/AIDS
    This issue affects all sectors, but the young adult group from which the best teachers are drawn, is the most affected by HIV/AIDS.

  • Public Administration Reform
    This issue was raised by NGOs as the single most important issue for donors and government to address together. The process of public administration reform commenced in 1994; was dropped in 1997 by the UNDP due to a lack of government commitment and was started again in 1999.

  • Lack of coordination
    There is a lack of coordination both of donor aid and among education departments within the MoEYS.

    The issues of HIV/AIDS, public administration reform and coordination cut across all levels of education. The government's report to the January 2000 Conference in Bangkok entitled Education for All (November 1999) details additional areas in which efforts must be made to improve education in Cambodia, but the above mentioned three issues are ones in which the donor community can and should make clear commitments and demand equal commitments from the Royal Government of Cambodia. It is significant to note that the Ministers of the social sectors, about which the government and donors have expressed such concern, are never invited to the Consultative Group meetings.

RECOMMENDATIONS

NGOs call for serious dialogue among the donors and the government about the provision of quality education in Cambodia, and recommend that the following issues be addressed at the Consultative Group meeting:

Civil Service: Public Administration Reform 
The final agenda for civil service reform should include the government's plans to: 

  • Increase salaries based on degrees and performance. 

  • Provide incentives for further study/training done well. 

  • Create a professional track in education based solely on technical competence without political reference.

Table 1: Estimates of Government Expenditures on Primary Schooling Relative to  
               Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

Year GDP Primary Expenditure
(US $million)
% age GDP GDP per
Capita
Expenditure
per Pupil
% (GDP
per Capita)
1991 1634          
1992 1586          
1993 1923          
1994 2385          
1995 2923          
1996 3113          
1997 3003          
1998 2853          
1999 3184          

Number of Students in Each Grade


Promotion, Repetition and Drop-out rates from Grade 1 to 6


Student- Teacher Ratio
 

Upper Secondary Graduates


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