Mao Havanall, minister in charge of the SSCA, on November 2 met with the four students and representatives of the Cambodian Students’ Association in Russia. SSCA
Four Cambodian students have received a five-year scholarship to study aircraft mechanics in Russia and plan to start the course later this year, according to the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA).
SSCA considers the group a valuable resource that can contribute to the development of Cambodia’s aviation sector.
Mao Havanall, minister in charge of the SSCA, on November 2 met with the four students and representatives of the Cambodian Students’ Association in Russia.
At the meeting, Havanall shared his experience and advised them to study hard to expand their knowledge of the civil aviation sector, especially to keep up with the latest developments in technology as well as to learn English as a second language fluently so they can work and conduct business after graduation.
He also suggested that the students work with an airline or the state upon graduation and that they study Type Rating. For example, if they work for an airline that uses Boeing aircraft, they have to gain a Boeing type rating.
“The state currently needs such professionals to work for it. [We] can make it easy for them to work for other airlines to the best of their abilities as well,” he said.
SSCA spokesman Sin Chansereyvutha told The Post on November 3 that three of the four students would depart for Russia later this year while the fourth will leave for Russia next year. They are continuing to learn online due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Of course, this scholarship is through a competition and examination. So, the students who passed this exam were all selected from one of the polytechnic schools where they study the basic skills in the mechanics field. In addition, they are physically and intellectually qualified,” he said.
“We are very proud because we lack human resources who specialise in aircraft mechanics. So far, we have only had a small number of people graduating with associate degrees and bachelor’s degrees. So if the new students graduate, we hope that they will be able to work in our field in the future,” he added.
Nong Rithy, president of the Cambodian Students’ Association in Russia, told The Post on November 3 that the scholarship was a testament to the efforts of the association, relevant institutions and the students themselves.
With this skill lacking in the country, he also expected that they will bring along modern technologies to the country and promote the sector to grow further in the future.
“I have nothing but joy and happiness [for the students]. I believe that the students who received the scholarships from Russia will be able to bring technical experience from a superpower of technology, military and politics to develop Cambodia as it is in need of human resources in all fields,” he said.
Rithy added that the students are the first to be awarded this type of scholarship in Russia through the association’s effort. The association will also continue to look for other scholarship opportunities for Cambodian students so that more can be awarded to study in Russia.
