The National Election Committee (NEC) announced yesterday that it would prepare a new academic curriculum to promote citizen’s rights, freedom of expression and democracy with the aim of incorporating it into schools nationwide.
NEC President Sik Bun Hok said the curriculum would be implemented at primary, secondary and tertiary level institutions, suggesting it would enable the Kingdom to flourish like developed countries.
“I have educational documents. I will include them into the edcucation curriculum from primary school, secondary school,and higher education levels."
“We will verify and check to see how developed countries applied this, by allowing the children to know since young, what it means when we say authorities, lawmakers, and people’s representatives etc, this is a democracy, and the citizen owns the country,” he said.
Bun Hok said he had discussed the planned incorporation with Constitutional Council president Im Chhun Lim and will send a proposal to the Education Ministry.
“This is what I’m wishing for. The days before, talked to H.E Im Chhun Lim, president of the Constitutional Council, and he said that he was preparing in order to include into the education curriculum which related such as an election,” he said.
He said that once NEC is done the program preparation, NEC will send to the Ministry of Education and NEC will talk with the Ministry in order to enhance it more advance like developed countries which allows children to know since they were young until adult, and NEC needs to have trained instructor to become nationwide animation in the education sector.
San Chey, executive director of the Cambodia-based Affiliated Network for Social Accountability, welcomed this move which include into the education curriculum from primary school to upper levels, but the
lessons needed to have quality and efficiency.
“The integration into the education curriculum is not just for showing, but what important is the effectiveness. Education curriculum plan should be set at a standard. If lessons about human rights or democracy, the international law should be adopted as basic,” he said and suggesting that to avoid a curriculum that lacks consultation with relevant actors, such as civil society organisations working in the realm of democracy and human rights.
