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Remarks
His Excellency Mr. Sok AN, Deputy Prime Minister
Minister in charge of the Office of the Council
of Ministers
on the Occasion of Awarding Ceremony of Honorary
PhD in Education
2nd
June, 2008
Phnom Penh
-Professor Teodoro
Jhocson, President of the National University of
the Philippines
-Mr. Lito Vitriolo, Deputy Executive Director of
the Commission of High Education of the Republic
of the Philippines,
-Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
First of all, I wish to take this opportunity to
express my profound gratitude and appreciation
to the National University of the Philippines,
especially Professor Teodoro Jhocson, President
of the University and members of academic
assessment committee for awarding the Honorary
Doctorate in Education to me, and would also
like to thank my family members, especially my
wife, for taking good care of me with
encouragement and my colleagues for supporting
and assisting me to achieve such successful
work.
Indeed, this inspiring honor and pride that I am
receiving today is also the pride for me, my
family and my colleagues. At the same time, this
clearly reflect the responsibility and
sacrifices that I have contributed to the causes
of strengthening peace, stability, democracy,
reform, respect of human rights and sustainable
and equitable development, especially to
education in Cambodia.
I
would like to recall that after the Liberation
Day on the 7th January 1979, the country was
liberated and the Cambodian people were rescued
from the genocidal regime of Pol Pot, but the
civil war was still going on for many years
after that. Indeed, during that time our people
neither had no rice, no proper clothes, no
education and nor proper shelters. We started
from scratch. We can say that 100% of Cambodian
people were living under extreme poverty while
everyone suffered from loosing their loved ones
and from life threatening diseases. At that time
we rebuilt our nation from the most difficult
situation. On the one hand, we must rebuild and
rehabilitate our country from the destruction of
socio-economic infrastructure. On the other
hand, we must protect and totally prevent the
return of such genocidal regime. Moreover, we
must rebuild the country in the situation of
peace and war while we were under the pressure
of both economic and political embargo.
I would like to
highlight some developments in education in Cambodia. After
the Liberation Day on the 7th January, 1979, we have tried
our best to build human resources through mobilizing those
teachers who had survived from the genocide regime and
providing them with pedagogic training courses to enable
them to be involved in education services for the country.
Today, through
the National Policy of Education for All, according to the
UNICEF report, Cambodia is ranked 21st among 129 countries
in achieving high rate of primary education of 93.3 percent.
In higher education, Cambodia now has 66 Higher Education
Institutions of which 42 are privately owned. In order to
promote the quality of higher education, the Accredited
Committee of Cambodia has been established.
Currently,
Cambodia has entered a new phase of development in education
sector by emphasizing the strengthening of basic education
and the quality of schooling under the framework of
developing a systematic and comprehensive national economy.
The
Royal Government of Cambodia considers Human
Resource Development and Education as a
long-term strategy. At the same time, the
poverty reduction based on foundation of human
resource development is the key to ensure
sustainable development and equal distribution
of economic growth since knowledge and know-how
could improve the living standard of people.
According to estimates, by 2011 there will be
200,000 high school graduates per year who may
enter labor market or enroll in vocational
training centers, universities or other
educational institutions. This situation is a
huge opportunity for future labor supply and
also could be a big burden to the government for
employment generation. To deal with this
challenge, the Ministry of Labor and Vocational
Training has established a Job Center to
research on labor market and to provide
information on demand and supply of jobs.
Indeed, as a Cambodian citizen and a deputy
Prime Minister I am very satisfied with the
rapid progress of education sector in Cambodia
during the last several years, though many
challenges remain to be addressed. We have made
significant progresses especially to enhance
opportunities for all citizens.
In
this spirit, the conferment of the honorary
doctorate degree to me contributes to improving
human resource and quality of education in
Cambodia’s higher education. For the sake of
education, I would like to dedicate all of my
knowledge, time and efforts to promote national
academic standardization, quality and value of
education in Cambodia.
I
would like to dedicate this award to all of my
family members, who have always supported me.
Once again, I would like to thank the National
University of the Philippines for awarding this
honorary doctorate in Education to me.
Especially I would like to thank the management
and assessment committee as well as professors,
lecturers and staff of the University who
support me.
Finally, I would like to wish you all good
health, success and prosperity. May the
friendship, solidarity and cooperation between
Cambodia and the Philippine last forever for the
benefit of our two countries and peoples!
Thanks you. | 
