Diagnosis of problems of higher education of Cambodia

In 2011, Cambodia has tertiary enrollment rate of 10%, which appears to be low when compared with other nations. Cambodia’s higher education institution lacks world recognition and is currently not acknowledged by QS World University Rankings. Furthermore, there is inadequate communication between schools and corporations. This thus hinders the necessary adjustment of the curriculum to equip the students with skills to meet the demand of the labor market. Graduates also find difficulty integrating into the workforce. Higher education institutions are mainly located in major cities. Hence, students have to bear the cost of transport and living expenses in addition to their school fees. Furthermore, those who manage to find alternative places to live in are facing the risk of being drawn into an increasingly rampant drug culture or being coerced into prostitution.

Rankings by the World Economic Forum (compiled 2013-2014 but using available data) place Cambodia 116th out of 148 nations, behind Thailand (66th), Vietnam (95th) and neighboring Laos (111th.)

A major challenge for the coming years will be to address the mismatch between the needs of the labor market in terms of skills, critical thinking ability and knowledge and the current products on the market. This will require better understanding of the labor market, better coordination and links with industry and better information for students so they can select appropriate courses. Maintaining high quality programs, internationally acceptable certification within an affordable pricing structure is also a challenge. Further work and increased resources will be required to ensure that more talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds can access higher education through scholarship programs or possibly student loan schemes.

The Government has recognized the importance of providing opportunities in higher education and the importance to assuring relevance and quality. ASEAN integration will provide opportunities for collaboration between institutions, joint research and quality standard setting.