Private Tuition in Cambodia: Evidence from Urban and Rural Upper Secondary Schools

 This study compares private tuition (PT) patterns and perceptions regarding teaching and learning in public schools versus PT classes in urban and rural Cambodia. Using quantitative data from 108 tutors and 165 12th graders, followed by 21 interviews that included principals, we find that urban students are the main drivers of PT; they trust the quality of tutors they are familiar with, while their rural peers view PT as more effective when provided by their teachers. Nonetheless, examination reform may have prompted more students to seek PT with tutors who could provide adequate knowledge and skills, as opposed to their teachers. Furthermore, hurried teaching was perceived as a common response to dealing with inadequate instructional time and the pressures of trying to implement a learner-based approach. This investigation provides new insights into issues relating to teacher professionalism and students’ choice of PT in Cambodia.

For further reading, please follow this link https://ijie.um.edu.my/index.php/JICE/article/view/43940

Cambodian Teachers' Perceptions of Online Teaching: During and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic

 This limited topical life history study aims to gain insights into COVID-19’s impacts on teaching at upper secondary schools through Cambodian teachers’ perceptions of online teaching. It presents teachers’ current challenges and needs as well as future impacts on their teaching practices. Online semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data from 29 subject teachers and their school directors. This study concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic reduced the quality of teaching and learning due to the limited functions of monitoring students rather than limited digital knowledge and skills. The classroom management is still required although the learning is online. The empirical evidence suggests this effect in science disciplines; especially for calculation-related subjects. However, COVID-19 was viewed as providing secondary education with a great deal for implementing the digital revolution of education 4.0 and created some practical issues for policymakers and implementers. Although the findings largely concur with previous literature on online teaching during the pandemic, they also draw context-specific features of the issue. 

You can read the full article, please refer to the link https://doi.org/10.32865/fire202273291

Revisiting Cambodian Private Tutoring: Insights Into Teachers’ Professional Misconduct

 Cambodia uses a ‘discouragement’ strategy to manage teachers’ engagement in supplying private tutoring (PT). However, previous studies have criticized teachers’ professional misconduct in terms of promoting tutoring classes to ensure supplementary income. Currently, examination reforms alongside economic growth propose a new understanding of professional misconduct. Based on descriptive data from 93 students and in-depth interviews with 24 informants, who were tutees and their parents, tutors and school administrators respectively, this study found uncaring pedagogies to be a primary motivator for tutoring demand. This tended to have an association with the inadequate instructional time given to core examination subjects and implementation of the learner-based approach. Additionally, the examination reform brought positive changes in the teacher’s behavior. Although this study’s findings are largely aligned with previous studies, it still sheds light on new perspectives regarding teachers’ professional misconduct in Cambodia.

Link to the full article: 

https://jice.um.edu.my/index.php/JICE/article/view/29551

What is Education?

 Education is defined differently, and the education implementer sometimes does not even know its goals. Webster defines education as the action or process of educating or teaching. Generally, this definition seems the most common one and it is believed by most of people. Also, the terms 'educate' is further defined as “to develop the knowledge, skill, or character of...” Thus, from these definitions, Yero (2001) assumed that the purpose of education is to develop the knowledge, skill, or character of students. In the common sense, sociologists proposed that education aims to impart knowledge and to create the critical thinkers. What do 'impart knowledge' and 'critical thinker' mean to most people?

Imparting knowledge cannot be interpreted to ensure that students are able to read and write, but to assist the learners to be think beyond the contents they are reading.

References:

Yuro, J. L. (2001). Meaning of Education. retrieved from https://www.stoa.org.uk/topics/education/The%20Meaning%20of%20Education.pdf on April 07, 2017.

Why Shouldn't 'Competition'​ Be Used in Education of the Equal-rights World?

by Soeung Sopha

“Man is not, by nature, deserving of all that he wants. When we think that we are automatically entitled to something, that is when we start walking all over others to get it.” ― Criss Jami

I think we should not let our children understand that learning is a kind of competition. Comparing the grade of children might not a good way to teaching the children in the equal-rights world. The law states that every child has the equal rights regardless their background, religion and belief, poor or rich, female or male, and .... What's more, we always wish to see our children are treated fairly in their life although we are poor/rich or we have low/high education level. However, in the reality we are trying to compare them with other children via grade, or we admire them because they are better than others. Sometimes we compare one to another among family member. The same thing has been happening in school, the grade is publicly by the end of each month, then children start mocking one another. Close friends sometimes turn to be competitive learners, or they sometimes stop talking to each other owing to one has earned better grade than another one. Another may be feeling sad and confine himself/herself in a room, decided not to communicate with another because they think that they are not as good as those people. Thus, why are we teaching them to compete in education environment while we wish to see them living together and supporting each other for the better future of our country and the world?

As we all may agree that every child has her/his own talent and s/he has own way of success in building who they are for their future. Some children may not really good at one thing, but they may be great at another thing. The point is that we ourselves do not exactly understand their talent; however, we make a judgement that this child is good or better or worse than that one.
I am not really known if there are any study's findings/theory has never been criticized by the new one. Thus why we need to believe to much in one thing that might be criticized by another? However, we'd better do what they we all have in common for our children in their future.

I understand that some readers here will not agree with my idea to some extent, but I am more than happy if you can share with me your points of view on this topic. Thank you in advance.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-should-competition-used-education-equal-rights-sopha-soeung-sos-/

Do you know why 'supremacy' suddenly exists in the world where it is believed it should not? I do not know much how it is coming back, but what I know is that the supremacy is removed from the school as the school principle demands a 'UNIFORM' for individual kid regardless of her/his background.

Teach Cambodian/Khmer Language to Foreigners (part 1)