PM Hun Sen speaks at a graduation ceremony for new teachers at the National Institute of Education (NIE) on Tuesday. Hun Sen's Facebook page
Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Tuesday that the government’s number one priority is the education sector, and that focus is being placed on improving the quality of teachers.
Speaking at a graduation ceremony for new teachers at the National Institute of Education (NIE), Hun Sen said the sector has seen much improvement over the past decade.
“I would like to take this opportunity to applaud our progress in the education sector, which is the core and priority sector. The government carried out reforms over the past two mandates.
“This inspires us to invest in education, including in building upon and improving teachers’ living conditions, accommodations and travel in the region. This is our key issue for the future because we require adequate teachers to improve the capacity of our citizens,” he said.
Hun Sen said Cambodia has made much progress since its wartorn days under Pol Pot.
“Therefore, we must continue our efforts to respond to all the problems that are ahead of us. Today is the era of a digital and technological economy, demanding us to work hard to train human resources,” he said.
Education Minister Hang Chuon Naron said at the event that all 1,977 new teachers who graduated in the 2018-2019 academic year were important resources for the education sector.
“The NIE’s mission is to build effective human resources, especially in the training of higher education teachers. Its main mission is to ensure the training of teachers and education officials to a high quality, a standard of ethics, virtue, and creativity,” he said.
Naron said the NIE trained more than 30,000 teachers and education officials from 1979 to 1993 and 22,362 from 1993 to last year.
A ministry report said it had successfully implemented the Education Strategic Plan 2014-2018 in the fifth term of the government with the participation of all stakeholders.
The report said the Education Strategic Plan 2019-2030 is designed to pursue further reforms in education, youth and sports and create a solid foundation for 2030 to meet the vision of Cambodia’s socio-economic development.
