Education is a Key Input to Cambodia's Future Economic Growth
Primary School Education
Cambodia has made significant progress in the development of their educational system, but there is still a long road ahead to reach parity with its ASEAN neighbors. Cambodia’s PISA test scores are a clear indication that progress still needs to be made in the nation’s educational attainment.
Much like the rest of the world, COVID seems to have resulted in some learning loss in Cambodia in part due to the digital connectivity inequalities. Cambodia’s spending on education is roughly in line as a percentage of GDP with other ASEAN nations. Cambodia will have to continue investing in the education of its future generation to sustain its economic growth.
Walking around Phnom Penh, I have noticed an abundance of private schools. The schools are often labeled as international schools and frequently promote the foreign languages taught there. From my general observation, the most common languages taught at these schools seem to be English, Mandarin, and French.
Students in Cambodia also have a relative long school day. I was told that the average day is from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. during weekdays. The hours may be adjusted based on the outside temperature. Extended lunch breaks during the middle of the day are common due to the scorching heat in Cambodia. Additionally, I have not seen as many cram schools as in other East Asian countries, but I was told they are becoming more popular.
Phnom Penh's Modern Monolith
Multiple malls have sprouted up in Cambodia since the Sorya Shopping Center opened in 2003. Over the weekend I traveled to the southern portion of Phnom Penh to visit the AEON Mall Mean Chey. After escaping the sprawling urban landscape of Phnom Penh via Tuk Tuk, the mall emerges from the wetlands like the monolith in the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" by Stanley Kubrick. The mall is a symbol of Phnom Penh’s profound transformation. Much like the enigmatic black structure surrounded by a vast expanse in the movie, the mall protrudes out of the agrarian surroundings near the Boeng Tompun lake.
The giant mall has all the traditional trappings of modernity such as a movie theater, a food court, and the AEON grocery store. AEON is a Japanese brand that has several locations across Phnom Penh. The mall may eventually become a central hub of commercial activity, but the surrounding natural environment has managed to defend its territory so far.
ODC events
In addition to continuing my research project, I attended an ODC sponsored event for active and aspiring journalists on Friday. ODC staff demonstrated software tools that enable software driven development. The team taught the participants about data-driven storytelling and interviewing best practices. This upcoming week, I will be traveling to Siem Reap to attend an AI conference. More to follow about that in next week’s post.