MoEYS Monitors Another Final Exam

 

On February 9, 2010, H.E. Ly Somony, Undersecretary of State for the Ministry of Education Youth and Sport (MoEYS), and other Ministry officials attended the Term I Final Exam at the University of Cambodia (UC) and monitored the process of our examination management.

His delegation was welcomed by H.E. Samraing Kamsan (member of the Board of Trustees and Advisor to the President of UC), who informed them that UC’s goals and mission is to educate Khmer students so they possess solid quantitative, analytical, and leadership skills and can contribute to the future growth and development of the country. As an intellectual institution, the UC aims to provide high-quality education and rich, diverse learning experiences so students can improve their lives and the lives of their families.

“UC is a fundamental center for education. Students absorb their knowledge and build up their capacity through education. It will also help our young generation have good morality,” H.E. Samraing Kamsan noted.

He explained to the MoEYS delegation that UC is building a new and expanded university campus in the Teuk Thla commune of Sen Sok district because the current location is too small to accommodate the growing number of students, as well as the rising number of faculty and staff members needed to operate it. With room for expansion, the new UC building will have great facilities and is significantly larger to accommodate the growing number of students.

Future plans include expanding UC to have a branch in Siem Reap province and the opening of a School of Government and International Affairs, as well as a new College of Media and Communication and College of Performing Arts.
H.E. Samraing Kamsan also informed the delegation about the ongoing development of Southeast Asia Television (SEATV), SEA Radio, and the Southeast Asia Weekly newspaper.

Similar to this visit to UC, MoEYS plans to visit all universities in Cambodia to examine the quality of education and the management of each university, and to contribute to strengthening the quality of higher education in the country. According to H.E. Ly Somony, MoEYS will be more rigorous in its inspections of universities starting this year because the Ministry received several complaints from lawmakers about the failure of some universities to implement the required standards and their lackluster facilities. This has already resulted in the closing of a few higher education institutions in Cambodia.

H.E. Ly Somony was pleased that the UC runs true credit system-based degree programs, and that this allows outstanding students to graduate earlier than a yearly-based education system. He also expressed his appreciation for the continued cooperation between the Ministry and UC, and praised UC for having amicable and professional interactions with the Ministry.

One piece of advice H.E. Ly Somony offered UC and other universities that provide scholarships concerned students from remote and rural areas. He encouraged scholarship-giving universities to provide additional support to poor students from rural areas; otherwise, he feared, students from the provinces may not be able to access higher education.

“UC can help more students from remote and rural areas study through scholarships, and help them with accommodations,” urged H.E. Ly Somony. “If they lack places to live and stay, it will force them to abandon their studies.” Student housing is one area UC is starting to explore in its long-term development plans.