Survey Finds Little Optimism Among Teachers

The annual survey by the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association, which questioned 726 teachers across 17 provinces, also found a majority who believed the education system has “no quality.” (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Monday, 09 May 2011

“The quality of education in Cambodia has reached a low-level alert.”

A survey by a teacher’s association has found a high degree of pessimism among the country’s educators, with nearly half saying they believe the education system in Cambodia has not developed at all.

The annual survey by the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association, which questioned 726 teachers across 17 provinces, also found a majority who believed the education system has “no quality.”

That number, 39.5 percent, was lower than the 45.5 percent who said they thought the country had not developed at all. About 14 percent of those surveyed said the sector had shown some development.

“We are very worried about the quality of education in Cambodia,” said Rong Chhun, president of the association. “The quality of education in Cambodia has reached a low-level alert.”

About half the respondents—52 percent—said low salaries were causing a decline in education quality. Fifteen percent said education suffered from a lack of transparency in its administration and that inactive school directors need to be removed.

Other reasons cited were corruption and a lack of teaching materials and training. About 85 percent of respondents said they felt they were not involved enough in decision making.

Only 56 percent said they knew what the country’s education strategy was.

Rong Chhun said he hoped the survey would be used by the Ministry of Education to reform the sector.

But Ou Eng, general director of the education department for the Ministry of Education, said the survey was “unfair and untrue.”