Serving rural students in Cambodia

Men Sotharin, deputy director of St. Paul’s Agriculture and Information Technology Institute in Takeo, Cambodia

via CAAI

September 10, 2010

By Men Sotharin, Takeo

Men Sotharin is deputy director of the newly opened St. Paul’s Agriculture and Information Technology Institute in Takeo province, the only Church-run tertiary institute in Cambodia.

She was the only Cambodian representative at the recent 18th conference of the Association of Southeast and East Asian Catholic Colleges and Universities, held in Bangkok.

Following are her reflections on the conference, the education situation in her country, and how her newly opened St. Paul’s institute is serving Cambodian students:

The conference of the Association of Southeast and East Asian Colleges and Universities (ASEACCU) in Thailand Aug. 26-28 focused on Caring in Truth: Catholic Perspective in Education Challenges. We discussed the issue of care because Catholic educational institutions have to be at the service of the Church. We are called to be guides for young minds and to care for the next generation.

Discussions at the conference were relevant to the situation in Cambodia, one of which was the challenges posed by globalization.

Cultures and traditions are all being affected as economic activities have become more profit-driven with the focus on manufacturing, technology and services.

In many places, the traditional reverence for persons and the human body has disappeared. The person has now become a commodity, and if we can earn money by selling things, then the human body is no different.

We Catholic educators should explore new avenues in serving the truth and in promoting the dignity of the human person.

Here in Cambodia, we see that young people crave for modernity even though their parents don’t have money. For example, they want to study in Phnom Penh because they are attracted to the modern lifestyle and many entertainment outlets in the city.

That is why we opened St. Paul’s institute in a suburban area.

We realize young people here want to study but they don’t have the chance. Most are from farming families. Many drop out after junior high school because it costs lots of money – school fees, study materials and accommodation, food and water etc – for higher studies in the city.

If their families want to support them, they must sell their property such as cows or rice fields. Many thus choose to stay at home and work in the fields with their families.

Because of these difficulties, we are trying to help young people receive higher-level education so they can enjoy more job opportunities.

Here in Takeo, the Catholic Church has a new high school – St. Francis’ – and an institute – St. Paul’s.

Our mission is not only providing skills but also help foster love and a fraternal spirit among students. We also try to teach students solidarity and honesty, which make us different from other schools.

St. Paul’s institute, which started in 2009, has classes of 80 students each in its agricultural science and information technology programs.

The school also provides free hostel accommodation for poor students from other provinces.

After they graduate, they can earn up to US$300 per month, which is good enough to lift them from poverty. With this they can support their parents and siblings, or continue studies in the university.

But we are not free from problems. For example, within the first few months of enrolment, more than 10 students dropped out due to various reasons.

We have not started moral education classes yet. But we talk to students and explain the importance of studying in the local area rather than migrating to the city.

Next year, we are going to teach two more subjects – tourism studies and English language. And we are going to start a weekend course leading to a bachelor’s degree in agriculture.