EVOLVING CONCEPTS OF ‘EDUCATION’ AND ‘BASIC EDUCATION’

From a traditional, social and cultural perspective, ‘education’ is literally defined by Cambodians on one hand as an honest route to better the human condition, intentionally aimed at shaping individuals for a better lifestyle, knowledge, and good manners for living in their respective societies. On the other hand, the contemporary Cambodian perception of ‘education’ refers to a process of training and instruction, especially of children and young people in schools, which is designed to give knowledge and develop skills. Both induct the maturing individual into the life and culture of the group. This consciously and purposefully controlled learning process is conducted by more experienced members of society. 

In traditional education the pupils received instruction in the arts of writing, ethical precepts, practical philosophy, and good manners. There were also traditional codes of conduct and rules (chbab) for men and women requiring them to learn and obey to become good members of the Khmer family and society. Thus ‘basic education’, as a ‘minimally adequate level of education to live in society’ is varied in accordance to socio-cultural and socio-political factors of the state. The majority of Cambodians are peasants relying on subsistence agriculture. Traditional and cultural principles encourage men to be more sociable, gentle, courageous, responsible, and hardworking, while women are supposed to be caring, reserved, and having good housework management skills. Accordingly, parents, senior members of the society, and Buddhist teachers, were responsible for educating boys. What should be an adequate level of basic education that Cambodian citizens should be equally equipped? The 1990 WCEFA identified basic education as aimed at ‘meeting basic learning needs’. Hence, the length of formal education and education content should depend on the policy of the individual society or country. With reference to this definition, Cambodian basic education was identified in the 1950s and 1960s as at the ‘primary education level’ in urban areas and at basic literacy level (being able to read and write everyday-life texts) in rural areas (Ministry of National Education, 1956-57). The extent of this basic education ideal was first halted in the early 1970s and later dissolved between 1975 and 1979 during the infamous Khmer Rouge regime. In 1979-1981, putting children back to school and combating the illiteracy among adults were the main tasks of the regime. 

The level of education, which should be appropriate to meet basic learning needs during this period was unclear. In the mid-1980s the government started its commitment to strengthening the quality of educational provision. Education officials noted that during the 1980s, basic literacy or at least completion of the fourth grade of the primary cycle (then five years in length) was sufficient for achieving basic education.