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
|