Highland Children's Education Project: A Pilot Project on Bilingual Education in Cambodia

Overview & Synopsis

The report was produced by UNESCO in partnership with CARE International in Cambodia for the "Highland Children's Education Project" (HCEP) to show how bilingual primary education has been implemented among the Tampuen and Kreung ethnic minority groups in six remote villages in the northeastern province of Ratanakiri, Cambodia. Central to HCEP is the idea of "community schools" for primary education that the community is largely responsible for governing and managing. The pilot project in Ratanakiri, with the assistance from Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS) and local NGOs, was established to promote bilingual education and education in the mother tongue through local teacher training and adaptation of the national curriculum. There are many barriers to providing education to ethnic minorities in Ratanakiri, including communication between the central government and the village representative due to language differences. A survey confirms that there is still a strong negative attitude to girls' education that hinders education for all in the area. However, the ethnic minority groups are becoming aware of the economic potential that education can bring and are therefore increasingly willing to participate in education related activities. The community will continue to play an important role in highland children's education. Development of education policy, teacher training, funding, networking and technology will also help to improve education for ethnic minorities in remote areas. (Contains 3 footnotes.) [This document was published by UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education. Cover title varies.]