Over 500 People Gather for World Teachers’ Day

Written by DAP NEWS -- Wednesday, 07 October 2009

(POst by CAAI News Media)

At least 500 people including Cambodian teachers, students, government educational officials, local and international organizations dealing with education improvement in country have participated to celebrate World Teachers’ Day in Phnom Penh, a press release from Education Ministry and the Aide et Action Southeast Asia organization said on Tuesday.

“We celebrate the World Teachers’ Day today to thank for our great teachers who helped society and train human resources in the world,” said Prasert Tepanart, regional director of Aide et Action for South East Asia, at the National Institute of Education in Phnom Penh. “We thank all teachers who contribute to transfer their knowledge for the next generation. These teachers devoted their lives for helping us to be good persons in society.”

The topic this year, “investing in teachers for quality education,” reflected the boost in teaching quality and learning process, he said. According to a report from the Cambodian Education Ministry, there are 45,511 primary school teachers, 23,576 junior high teachers, and 9,171 high school teachers in Cambodia. “We need an investment in the teachers with fairness to develop teachers through better training and encouragement,” a press release from UNESCO said. At least 10.3 million teachers around the globe will be recruited more to reply to the purpose of education for all in 2015, it added.

“The Cambodian Government has strong commitment to implement the education policy to guarantee the quality for education in purpose of boosting economic and social development,” said Im Samrithy, executive director of NEP, an educational NGO. “Teachers are role models and provide reputation and dignity in Cambodian society.”

“Teachers are second parents for all students,” he stressed. “We have provided opportunities for local teachers to teach in the community where they were born to develop our education system and provide continued knowledge for villagers.”

“The Government also encouraged the teachers to teach at the rural and remote areas to transfer the life skill and knowledge to next generation in order to change their behavior,” he said, adding that, because of poverty, Cambodian parents still do not send their children to school, sending them out to work instead. The Government is trying to increase teachers’ salaries every year and improve their living conditions, he claimed.

But, “Cambodian schools still lack teaching materials, teachers meet difficulties during teaching lessons, and information technology is not equipped in rural schools because the electricity network does not reach to these areas,” teachers said in press release. The Cambodian Government is trying to achieve education for all and implement the millennium development goals by 2015, said Nath Bunroeun, secretary of state for the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports. “At the same time, the Gover-nment also is trying to eliminate illiteracy and poverty in the country, and teachers are key factors to help for these works and accelerate the human resources training,” he said.

“The Cambodian Government has a strong commitment to implement the education policy to guarantee the quality for education in purpose of boosting economic and social development,” he said.