Dear Friends,

Let me tell you a little about the schools around Battambang, Cambodia but first some background information. The literacy rates in Cambodia are very low compared to other South East Asian countries. A recent survey estimated that 36% OF THE POPULATION IS ILLITERATE with higher levels of female illiteracy and the literacy rate in rural and remote areas is lower than in the towns.

The Kingdom of Cambodia Education Strategy Plan has a goal of education for all and universal basic education by 2015 with targets that all children complete primary school by 2010 and that gender inequality and disparity between urban and rural education is eliminated by 2010 in year nine basic education.

The Kingdom of Cambodia Education Ministry has set very challenging goals and the work of TAB is to support teachers and school administrators in achieving these goals. We are truly delighted to be part of this journey.

Many of the classrooms that we visit are very basic

• timber tables and benches
• a chalkboard and teacher’s table
• rooms have unglazed windows
• little or no electrical supply
• in some places dirt floors, and
• class sizes in excess of sixty students with very few resources

Children sit in rows and listen to the teacher. Students appear well behaved and respectful. Because of the absence of resources learning is by rote. There is no stimulus material and in most classrooms teaching is aimed at the auditory learner. This makes working with the Cambodian teachers very challenging because they are so short of classroom resources.

Much of the current teaching practice in Western schools fosters the notion of the student as an independent learner who poses key questions and uses a range of resources, including the teacher to develop a final product. Furthermore we encourage students to go through a writing process as they plan and work towards a finished piece. There is no brainstorming and drafting in Cambodia as there isn’t the paper to support such a process. For students and teachers the first attempt is usually the final piece.

Around Battambang, the city schools we visit appear better resourced than the rural schools. Class sizes are still enormous by our standards and learning is by rote. However students, like students the world over, are happy and enthusiastic and really want to learn.