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Tag Archives: Political Paradigm of Pragmatism

Political Paradigm of Pragmatism from the Khmer Youth part 45

Posted on by Posted in Culture, Economics, Education, Leadership, Politics, Researches, Social
This part (45), Mr. Sophan Seng dedicated his analysis towards newly changed in political landscape of Cambodia.
1 TV watchers in CambodiaWhile the cooperation (non-confrontational or culture of dialogue) between Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) and Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) is transformed into confrontation as usual in over-night political rhetoric, the term of heated up political conflict in Cambodia has been tensely criticized. Heated up because of the changing political attitude between government-led party and opposition party has rarely happened in developed countries (both communist and democratic countries). But Cambodia has experienced exotic political culture. Whenever, there are conflicts between different political parties, Cambodian people are under fear, investors are under threat, and foreign direct investment (FDI) are under uncertainty. This phenomena is indicating that Cambodia has no political institution that belongs to the nation. Cambodia has proven herself as a fragile state of few leadership like what Aristotle pinpointed it “led by few” or “autocrats”.
In conclusion, political maturity through think tank-led leadership is imperative for Cambodia. While the CPP has been hopeless in its reform to bring back popularity among voters, the old approach of confrontation has been visually undertaken; thus the CNRP must work out harder and clearer within their points of “culture of dialogue” through workshops and workshops, conferences and conferences, to build up policy, think tank, and pragmatism etc.

Political Paradigm of Pragmatism from the Khmer Youth part 44

Posted on by Posted in Culture, Education, Leadership, Politics, Researches, Social

This part (44), Mr. Sophan Seng continued to analysis the wrong direction of education reform in Cambodia. As he repeatedly referred to, education is the backbone of this nation, but this

Scene view of Cambodia Students during Exam 2015 - photo courtesy of MoEYs facebooke page.
Scene view of Cambodia Students during Exam 2015 – photo courtesy of MoEYs facebooke page.

sector has been really neglected by the government. Beside of approving less annual budget for this sector, the intermingled family and community based educational development is remained a sensitive concern.

When the fame of education has become worse and worse, the measure to strictly undertake high school exam is just a short term and trivial measure to answer to the true reform, and this measure is seen as a political agenda, not the education agenda.
Just one stunning example of screening students at the entrance gate and proctoring from all directions by the proctors during exam, does mean to bog down the self-confidence and self-oriented mentality of the Cambodian students. Those screeners and proctors should spend time to monitor corrupt officers, traffic laws offenders, and other legal violators etc., is better.

Political Paradigm of Pragmatism from the Khmer Youth part 43

Posted on by Posted in Culture, Economics, Education, Leadership, Politics, Researches
This part (43), Mr. Sophan Seng continued to analyse the Education Reform in Cambodia. This time, he keenly criticized the measure of strict exam of high school students (grade 12) during 2014 and 2015. The strict exam was only aiming to divert the attention of students’ parents who have disappointed with the inability to curb the rampant corruption inside the school compounds particularly during exams. Thus, these two years strict exam doesn’t translate the “Education Reform”, but it has translated something else outside of the core reform.
Further more, the strict exam and measures to monitor all activities of students including scanning from toe to head to search students’ sheet(s) and proctor in each room by watching from all directions. Policemen are also dispatched. The other government unit such as Anti Corruption Unit (ACU) has also taken in charge to reprimand, arrest and punish those cheated during exam.
Scene view of Cambodia Students during Exam 2015 - photo courtesy of MoEYs facebooke page.
Scene view of Cambodia Students during Exam 2015 – photo courtesy of MoEYs facebooke page.

All these are just part of Cambodian education version that has no deep knowledge about the impact on students in a long term human resources building. Psychologically speaking, students have lost self-confidence that could help to produce self-correction and self-realization. Students are eagerly waiting others to enforce them. In term of law enforcement, students should not be the target. Those violated the traffic lights should be paid attention more than students who have learnt to gain knowledge, not to pass the exam without having knowledge.

This tactic of reform will not lead Cambodia to gain genuine reform but to serve the interest of political campaign. Cambodia’s education reform must not focus on strict exam, and strict exam should not use for the grade 12 exam, but it should be used for high professional competitions or privileged universities entrance etc.

Political Paradigm of Pragmatism from the Khmer Youth part 42

Posted on by Posted in Culture, Economics, Education, Environment, Leadership, Politics, Researches, Social

This part (42), Mr. Sophan Seng continued to analyse on the Reform of Cambodia Education. After the wake of war, education has remained important factor for this country to leapfrog herself from post-cold war country to peace and developed country, or from revolutionary-socalled country to democracy country equipped by Rule of Laws and Fair Share of National Wealth according to sustainable development pragmatism.

Courtesy: Mu Sochua blog
Courtesy: Mu Sochua blog

Again, Mr. Sophan highly articulated on quality of education system and quality of school teachers. In Cambodia, besides of fundamental concept of “better knowledge persons to teach less knowledge person” has remained omnipresent presently existing in Cambodia modern school compounds, the teachers’ pedagogy is seen out-of-date omnipotently.

For instance, this likely pro-violence country has not yet trained teachers to be anti-violence agents at schools at all. Teachers, in Cambodian concept, they are the second parents of all Cambodian children. While children are affected by violence-parenting style of ingrained traditional home-raising parenthood, teachers are not well trained in handling domestic violence in schools at all.

Recent incident of a school teacher commanded a male student to unclothe a female student in front of the roommates in the way to punish her because of her inability to answer assignment question, is one of the thousand punishment ways Cambodian teachers have always used to teach them in schools.

This sexual violence is among other four domestic violences ie. physical violence, verbal violence, financial violence, and emotional violence. School teachers are not taught to handle with all these violences and most of time they are the violence perpetrator rather than a violence stopper/investigator/observer.

Those teachers are not different from public politician figures whose education credentials are not counted to getting their way into those important public servants and high prestigious public posts. As the matter of fact, Cambodia education has been mocked by the no education or less education persons have become a player of role model in the public eyes of Cambodian people. Currently, many top officials including Premier are not graduated high school. Currently, majority of teachers are counted by training teachers graduates, they have not completed post secondary education at all.

When this important strata of social fabric are remained weak, the future of Cambodia is deems murky.