A-Mention Students Meeting Postponed Due to Covid-19 New Variants
Today we are really happy to be together after a break (because of the outbreak of the new variant of Covid-19) in the past. I would take this opportunity to remind us that we had previously planned to meet in February, but due to the new Omicron Covid-19 variant epidemic, we postponed it to ensure the safety of our grandchildren as well as our civil servants, especially our teachers. The situation of Covid-19 is now back under control (that made) the situation conducive for us to meet today with the A-mention students here.
A-Mention Students First Met in 2014
I have promised that we will have an annual meeting for students who have passed the high school exams and received an A mention. We have been doing this since 2014, when there were only 11 A-mention students. In 2015, we had 108 students who passed with the A-mention. In 2016, we had 405 A-mention students. In 2017, we had 424 A-mention students. In 2018, we had (408 students who passed the exam with A-mention). In 2019, there were (443 students who passed with the A-mention). In particular, in 2020, we did not have an A-mention because we offered a preference for our students […] to pass automatically without a grade. But this year, after gaining control to a certain extent over Covid-19, with the efforts of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and relevant institutions, as well as the National Television of Cambodia, which help provide learning sessions both online and television, as well as other training by teachers and our parents we have been able to organize exams again.
Schools Closed/Insufficient Classes, but Scored a Large Number of A-Mention Students
This year, the number of students who passed the exams with A-mention was is up to 1,757 and more than 70,000 students passed the exams. There was a request (from students) to automatically pass without grade. That could not always be possible […] for this year, the number of (students passing exams with) A-mention has increased to a pleasured level and that is this year 1,757 students, which is a large number, (students who pass the exam with) A-mention. We do not expect this to happen when schools are closed and not enough class meeting. On the contrary, through all their efforts, the grandchildren and great-grandchildren made an effort to stand up for their knowledge.
Those Failed Do Not Give Up, Go for Technology or Associate Degree
I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the Royal Government and on my own behalf to express my appreciation to all A-mention students, and their families, who have successfully become outstanding students in the Kingdom of Cambodia. I would also like to congratulate more than 70,000 students who passed the exam, even though they did not get an A mention. I would like to express my welcome and appreciation for those passing the exam and also their parents. I am so sorry for grandchildren who did not pass the exam. Hopefully, those grandchildren will be able to continue their hard work this year to retake the exam next year or get into technical studies or get an associate degree […]
While Lack of Vaccines, Schools Closed to Protect Teachers and Students
I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, education officials, as well as teachers across the country who have worked hard in the past to overcome the difficulties we faced in the fight against Covid-19. It is a serious loss in the world in general, and in particular for Cambodia, that we had to close schools to save students’ lives. Without life, there can be no opportunity to continue your education. (I am sure that) the people, the grandchildren, and the teachers are aware the reason why the Royal Government is forced to close schools. We had not had enough vaccines for vaccination at the time. Teachers, grandchildren and great-grandchildren have not yet been vaccinated then […]
Students Across the Country – a Priority Group for Vaccination
If there were no good management (over Covid-19) and no effort to push (vaccination) down to give priority to the school, the students, the teachers, clearly the situation could have become worse. I would now like to declare all students across the country a priority group for vaccination. Previously, I only announced inclusion of civil servants, teachers and the armed forces as the so-called front-line priority groups. Now to ensure the safety of our students, boys/girls must be included in the priority vaccination process. If things go as planned, at (the Phnom Penh International Airport at) Pochentong, two million doses of Pfizer vaccine arrived […]
We use this vaccine as a booster dose, not only for the teachers, but also for the students, whether it is the third or the fourth dose. Students and teachers will get the jabs whenever the frontline people do. There are more than 3 million students. So, the need for jab for the three million people would not be too difficult for Cambodia. Previously, we included even garbage workers, journalists (as well as) artists, as the frontline people. Teachers, soldiers, and police are all the frontline people. Let me reaffirm that I am declaring all students the frontline people (who have the priority to get vaccination too). We will get extra vaccines for our children.
Some A-Mention students Are to Take Medical School Entrance Exam
I have the information now that some A-mention students, who have not yet chosen which university to continue their studies, are actually waiting for the medical school entrance exam. The story is like that. This is an issue we must look into. Maybe they waited with a goal to become a doctor. With admission to the medical school that will reopen in the near future, it would be good thing. This is an option. Now we do not require this person to learn this, this person must learn that. They have the opportunity to choose what they wanted to learn/to be. It has given our youth the opportunity to choose a subject that they love.
Educational Institutions Implement MoEYS Policies
I really appreciate the hard works that everyone has out in. Allow me to express my respect to the principals, for the teachers as well as the education administration at the local level who have worked hard under difficult circumstances to implement the policies laid out by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, on behalf of the Royal Government. I would take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to the parents and guardians who took good care of their children during the epidemic. Not only that they have been safe, but they came to the exam. Even some of you failed the exam or did not pass the exam with A-mention, you will continue to study. That is our pride.
A-Mention Students in 25 Capital/Provinces Reflect Sub-National Democratic Reforms Effectiveness
I would also like to take this opportunity to commend all the sub-national authorities who are in charge of matters at their local level. Today we have (students who passed the exam with) A mention in all 25 capital/provinces. What does it reflect? It reflects the effectiveness of the sub-national democratic reform process. It shows the real effect that we give more power to the grassroots. The base has the ability to solve this problem. The Ministry of Education (Youth and Sports) has set out for the management of so and so level, but everything happens at the local level, and all the localities take responsibility within their provincial framework.
Education – the First Angle in Rectangular Strategy
Taking this opportunity, let me thank and appreciate efforts made by all the provinces (that) have already distributed prizes for A-mention students. Some provinces awarded motorcycles, some provinces awarded this/that according to their respective possibilities. I heard that many provinces have been able to give motorcycles as the prize. This shows that all levels of attention are paid to the training of human resources, […] stemming from the implementation of the policy of the Royal Government (which) considers the education sector as the first angle in its rectangular strategy. In that, we worked out a budget linked to the policy […] giving priority to the related education/health sector.
Education and Health Allowed Recruitments of Teachers and Doctors
Only in these two areas (education and health) that the Royal Government provide the opportunity to recruit more teachers/doctors. In terms of health, I have just approved the recruitment of more than 3,500 doctors to manage the (demanding) situation, because we have the need to expand more hospitals. The demand for doctors is therefore large. We also allow (education sector) the opportunity to recruit more teachers, while in other frameworks, we do not allow. In case of recruitment in other sector, we allow recruitment to replace only the person to retire. In some cases, where there are five people going into retirement, only three people are recruited in their places. As far as staffing is concerned, the Royal Government has to figure out benefits from the day they started working until the day they died […]
All Religions Focus on Education
I am very proud of the attention of the locals, including the attention of the monks everywhere in the Kingdom of Cambodia, whether the (Buddhist) Mahanikaya or Dhammayuttika Nikaya, or other religion, all focus on education. I thank all the monks and nuns in the monasteries where the school is located and also give the students the opportunity to take shelters in the monasteries. Of course, some students (who) passed the exam with A-mention (came) to study in Phnom Penh (and) may be among some students who stayed at the pagoda. I wanted to ask how many students are staying in the pagoda? Please stand up so that I can see […]
Contribution to Education Sector Becomes a National Movement
I would take this opportunity to thank Oknha Leang Khun, representing Chip Mong Group, who annually ordered iPads for distribution to grandchildren (graduated with A-mention). The process of (contributing to) the education sector taken place across the country has indeed (become) generally referred to as the national movement for the promotion of the education sector. Many schools built and helped by the private sector, philanthropists, monks, people, even the King and our Queen Mother, who have done a great deal to building schools where they are in shortage. So (the contribution that has) become a national movement (helps) push our education sector up.
Japanese Artist Writes and Sings about Cambodia’s Past Difficulties
In the car, I shed tears again after shedding tears two weeks ago. Two weeks ago, I was in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. At the party, the Prime Minister of Japan ordered a song from a famous Japanese artist – who came to Cambodia when she was a child. When she grew up, she returned to Cambodia and wrote songs. They display old pictures from the former state of Cambodia – showing what situation our students and our people were in. I shed tears in front of the Prime Minister of Japan. This song will be handed over to us by the Japanese side with the correct diplomatic notes. It is not yet available because the song is in the intellectual property of a company […]
Youth Situation and Education Changes Make Me Proud and Excited
Some people could have already listened to the song. But the song was delivered through diplomatic channel. There are diplomatic restrictions. The Japanese ambassador asked for understanding because there is intellectual property. They will give it to us later and we will use it. Why am I in tears? This morning, while traveling in my car, there was a TV spot I watched along the way. I saw Ms Reaksa of BTV conducting interview with some grandchildren, and wrapping up with a granddaughter wearing glasses.
I missed the past. I could never have thought we have this day when we started out empty-handed from the Pol Pot regime during the war. My imagination appeared in that song in which they illustrated some old pictures (of Cambodia) after the war. They reminded me of the tragedy of the Cambodian people in the past. This morning I saw a changing situation regarding our youth. I was so proud and excited that I shed tears without realizing it […]
We look at the situation and we see things are very different compared to when we started out. That is our national pride. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the people throughout the Kingdom of Cambodia, as well as our compatriots abroad for their encouragement and full participation in the process of education, and especially fully involved with the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, which finally gives us the opportunity to meet again […]
Infection Decreases, People Choose Whether to Wear a Mask or Not
… Brothers and sisters can get a feel how (difficult it was at the time when) the government’s administration decided to cancel the 2020 Khmer New Year celebration. We canceled the Khmer New Year celebration again in 2021. In 2022, however, the celebration of the Khmer New Year is a happy story. There was a sea of people. Some old people sent messages through my in-laws that this year was very fun and they also danced […] if we were careless and did not do well, we would not have a happy New Year celebration like that. After the New Year, we continue to monitor the infection whether it is increasing or decreasing. We see that it decreases. We have also lifted the obligation to wear a mask and allow our people to choose for themselves whether to wear a mask or not. Fighting with invisible enemies is no small matter […]
People Listen to Call of Prime Minister and Participate in Implementation
Even though I have a hard time managing a country that comes out of a state of emptiness, out of a country that does not have peace, and brings peace out of a state of poverty, let say I have been a prime minister whose leadership is in difficult situation, I am still proud to have gained the confidence and acceptance of our citizens. Take the case of a vaccine, there is a motivation to not vaccinate with propaganda that vaccine is lethal. No one could have imagined that that now almost 15 million of our people have received the vaccination. There are 14.9 million something already. Only tens of thousands more will make 15 million people who vaccinated. Despite the difficulties, I could consider myself to be a lucky Prime Minister.
Why am I lucky? It is a lucky thing when I talked to the people and they accepted my advices and practiced wearing masks, keeping safe social distancing, and getting vaccines at a time when there were propagandas for people not to vaccinate. This is considered the Prime Minister’s chance since I do not have to apply the law to place the country in emergency or use the whole law to control Covid-19 and other infectious diseases. I only use voicemail messages to get to the people. My real desire is to ensure the lives of the people first. If people die, there’s nothing else we can do […]
Vaccines Reach Remote Areas, Not Just Cities/Towns
More importantly, people are getting vaccinated. We have scored a successful vaccination campaign. We provided vaccine irrespective of political affiliation, race, and place […] a picture posted on Facebook page about a child named Seiha (in Siem Reap province) scored loads of likes and comments […] the little boy (who wore a vaccination card put in plastic bag around his neck) stayed with his aunt, while their parents went for works in a far place, so that he can to go to school. The important thing is that this picture indicate clearly that vaccine reached our remote countryside. The vaccine does not stay just around the city. Vaccines reach remote rural areas. I sent the governor to look for the boy himself. There was a need for home. Now maybe his living conditions are better […]
The Prime Minister to Seek Justice for Abused Citizens
Let me open a bracket here […] this morning, by chance, I saw in a message sent through Messenger about a song “Betraying the Hut,” sung by Mr. Chin Vathana. I also checked for more messages and there was a message of some people criticizing the fact that why the Prime Minister intervened in the problem of a female student with an Oknha (tycoon). How much truth they knew of this problem, If they knew the truth, would they still accept to the idea that the Prime Minister should not interfere?
Do you remember in 2000 there was a case surfaced in Facebook […] if it was just (a story about) female and male relationship, I had no need to intervene in. But the problem was about injustice. The girl student is being held in detention under the intervention of 4 or 5 tycoons. Do I have to keep quiet about this? […] As Prime Minister, I have to take responsibility for the justice of abused citizens […] I instructed my lawyer to find out where the girl was. The girl was in custody due to Oknha’s complaint that she tried to stab him […]
In short, without the intervention of the Prime Minister, who would be able to set her free? Sorry to those tycoons, I have to say this because maybe some of them wants to leak it out. If so, the case will be televised and I will use the voice message between the tycoons for TV audiences to watch/listen. Is such a case worth paying attention to for the Prime Minister? […] I have been the Prime Minister since I was 32 years old. Now I have been the Prime Minister for more than 37 years, which means I have been the Prime Minister for more than half my life. I know which case is heavy or light […]
For Women to Continue Education to Master’s degree/PhD
… Do not consider that such observations are not the work of the Prime Minister. Those of you who have never been prime minister, please do not comment. If you do not talk, nobody says you are mute. I like to observe this point (where female students can do better than male students). Is not it that every day we are talking about promoting gender equality? And if promoting gender equality does not think about this, what do we think? If we laid out a policy without a review, what would we do it. I have given recommendations to schools, to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the Ministry of Education. We find that at the primary level, the junior secondary level, and the senior secondary level, number of female and male students are more or less the same. At the undergraduate level, there is still competition, but from the postgraduate level, the number of female students decline. At the doctoral level, the number falls further. That is the point we need to get preparing, including the establishment of dormitories for female students to enable them to excel […]
Peace in Place of War Provides Opportunities for Youth/Children
… What we need to keep working on is to have more universities so that our youth have more choices. With such provisions, parents, guardians as well as students need to seize the opportunities that they have. The presence of peace instead of war provides an opportunity for our youth/children that the previous generation never had, but the coming generation benefit. (From) 1970-1979, we lost all opportunities for study after we won independence in 1953 during the Sangkumreastr Niyum era. At that time, our education sector was progressing. Although schools did not reach far to the countryside, but we had the opportunity to learn as we were growing after we withdrew from the French colonial rule. Under the leadership of His Majesty Preah Borom Ratanakaod, we had the chance to learn.
We completely lost the opportunity when the war and the Pol Pot regime came. We had the possibility of returning opportunity only after the liberation on January 7, 1979, but it was not a full one, as our country was still partially at war. Areas of sufficient peace people can get education. Areas that are not yet secure enough they did not learn enough. It was a time of mixing between war and peace. Although wars had taken place in sporadic locations and for some time, and peace had covered most of the land and for most of the time, the effects of the war in sporadic locations and times are devastating to students’ education.
It creates an unfavorable situation for teachers and students. Up to some places, we went all the way to make trenches (for students and teachers to take shelters) during the fighting. Our teachers took the students to the shelter so that they would not get hit by bullets. That is why we needed to be grateful to the teachers who led us to school (and were) protecting us. Now those who went through that education in the war time are becoming intellectuals who are serving the nation.
Peace Cannot Be Sustained Just by Political and Administrative Integration
Since after 1998, peace has taken place across the country. For the first time in the long history of Cambodia, we have had national/territorial unity. A country that used to be divided, many areas of control, many different armed forces on this poor land, has now secured the presence of peace instead of war that provides opportunities for development. I have pointed out to my colleagues in the Royal Government that political and administrative integration alone is not enough, we must also integrate physically as well as building the necessary infrastructure. That’s a road map to push for connections that not only serve education, but all sectors. I have pointed out to them that peace cannot be sustained just by integrating politics and administration, all roads must be integrated, schools should be built, hospitals should be built equally so that rural people can have access to education.
Previously, Students Look for School, Now Schools Look for Students
Today we see an indication that students in rural/provincial areas are not inferior to students in Phnom Penh in education. During my journey of about 6,000 kilometers in 2016 to the areas that were once the battlefield, I had laid out the school buildings at a cost of nearly $ 400 million. In Serei Sophon, because the land is so small, […] we built the 4 floors school building (while my usual norm is to have three floors only). Recently, we used some of them as a place for Covid-19 patients. We have invested heavily in education. In the past, students ran for school, now it is a school that looks for students.
Remember the Santuk 2002 statement that indicated that a commune should have a secondary school? Now we do not use this language anymore (but) a commune must have at least one secondary school […] this means that for a small commune there can be only one, but for a large commune, there can be more than one to facilitate students’ traveling. This country had fought sad history to be able to stand up. Compared to the past, what did (we) have? Now, with the participation of all, our education sector has risen. I still remember the day after the liberation in 1979, teachers volunteered to teach their students with charcoal or clay to write. We had become a country under punishment. The so-called sanctioned countries, development aid is not provided […]
Four Challenges in New Village Settlement
When I preside over the distribution of the land titles to the people in the new land area where they claimed and settled […] I reminded them of the four challenges in those new villages. Firstly, try to solve the water problem for them to use. Clean water for consumption (and) water for cultivation. Secondly, solve the problem of road access to that area. Thirdly, solve the problem of school and fourthly, solve the problem of health sector, because if they go to settle in that place, there had no school to get to yet, how can they learn? Now, a newly created village created by my wife, with the support of philanthropists and Luang Mae in Pursat province, I built a school and a hospital there. There are veterans’ villages in Siem Reap, Banteay Meanchey, and Takaen Koh Sla. In Takaen Koh Sla, there is a high school. There is also a high school in ones in Siem Reap […] we built school not only for the children of people with disabilities, but also for the children of the people in neighboring villages to come to study too. I think that among students graduated with Mention A, some are among the children of disabled veterans or veterans […]
No Peace, No Development, Investing in Human Resources
Let me affirm that without human resources, do not hope to talk about developing the country to progress. We might be able to just survive. We would not be able to reach progress. If there is no peace, there is no development. Therefore, peace must be maintained to ensure development, and in order to develop, it is necessary to train human resources, and planting people is different from planting trees […] if we think only of bachelors, we have to spend 16 years. Associate degree also takes 14 years. Master’s degree, it takes 18 years. And if you get a doctorate, it will take more than 20 years. This situation requires us to invest incessantly. If we do not invest in this sector, we will not have enough human resources to stay on up-to-date course […]
Humiliating Cambodian Education System is Disgracing Oneself
In the field of education, we must continue our efforts to reform. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports has set the right direction for the construction of modern high schools to make this process better, and public/private schools are working to modernize the education sector. I said a few days ago, Cambodia is doing great. How can I say that? I do not mock, but people who have studied under the roof of our school since (liberation year) 1979 now live abroad has designated him-herself a Ph D fellow. People refer to him/her as a person with Ph D. They designated themselves knowledgeable persons while they did learn under our roof leaking schools. If they underestimated our education system, therefore, they disgrace themselves […]
Some Do Not Understand What “Laying Net in the Sky” Means
The day before, at Ang Duong Hospital, I (had) talked about laying net in the sky (or a military tactic for airspace defense). Some of you do not understand […] dues to comments that we lacked MiG aircrafts and submarines, I responded that I will not use aircraft. In the time of the State of Cambodia, we had had dozens of Mig-21. Each aircraft needed 360 tons (of gas) per year for pilot training. Later, I cut it to 260 tons/unit. I cut out 100 tons because it was difficult for us. I say we do not need to use MiG aircraft. We use it to fight with who? and where exactly? to shoot each other in the (sky)? I say we just use the sky net (or lay a net in the sky) […] the sky net that I wanted to talk about means the air defense force that fire from below. Those who do not understand and are in persistence to defeat […] but refuse to see the substance what they mean by saying that. I have just signed a sub-decree to recruit more than 300 (additional) troops for the Air Defense Division. Cambodia does not need planes to shoot down each other in the air. We needed air defense, which I call the sky net […]
Every School Should Have a Facilitator to Monitor Covid-19
I would like to thank all the provincial governors, especially today, for taking responsibility to bring grandchildren from 25 provinces/municipalities (to this meeting). I had instructed before to be responsible bringing them here and taking them back home […] as a next step, all schools must continue to pay attention to the fight against Covid-19. Each school should have a so-called Covid-19 facilitator or principal monitor. It is a good idea to have such a person, especially the principal (and/or deputy principal of the school,) who is to get in touch with the doctor immediately. We have just won the battle, not the war. Covid-19 is not over yet […]
Will Meet Cambodians in the US and Europe
… On the 10th (of May), I must leave for the United States for a special ASEAN-US meeting. I thank the people of the United States for releasing the video that they are waiting to welcome me there. I am going there to visit you after we have been separated for a few years because of Covid-19. (Year 2018) I went to speak at the United Nations and also met our people there. When there was Covid-19, I could not go […] because the place where we are going to meet is not large, we will have about a thousand people. I am also waiting to see how many people are protesting against me. I do not encourage those who come to receive me to protest against them. I am begging those who come to welcome me and see those protesting against me, please do not protest against them. There is no need to do such a thing. The CPP or the government has supporters abroad larger than the number of people who come to protest against me.
Please be informed that I will be meeting people in Zurich, Switzerland on the evening of May 21st. I have to leave for the United States on the 10th (of May), and […] I will meet some Cambodians on the 11th (of May) and on the 12th and 13th (May) I have a meeting. On the 14th (of May) I will return. On the 15th (of May) I will arrive in Cambodia. The night of the 20th (of May) I had to fly out […] and have to sleep on the plane. Arriving in Zurich at around 2pm and on that evening I will meet with the people who live in Europe since they will all come together for the meeting in Zurich. This is a notice, lest some wanted to protest against me can organize a demonstration from afar. To protest in the United States against me is to protest against President Joe Biden because I am his guest […]
Be Grateful to Teacher, Teacher for One Day, Teacher for Life
I used to talk about the problem related to the humiliation of teachers. Teachers sometimes do not get the advantages, but instead get the disadvantages. That must also be avoided. Teachers try their bests to teach students, […] if their children are good, they say that because of their genes […] the teacher has no merit. If the child is not good, they say that the teacher is bad. The teacher has to take the wrong. They do not benefit from the good that the children do and the bad result also falls on the teachers. This must be avoided […] from the beginning, teachers sacrificed a lot. Being a teacher for one day is a teacher for life. As far as the brain is concerned, it is not completely true that with only good food would make a child smart. I have an experience with my children. My eldest son was born during the Pol Pot era. There is nothing to eat besides breast milk and corn, but his brain is not inferior to the other four children born in Phnom Penh. The problem lies in our care, and our encouragement […]
Focus on Agricultural Production Due to International Complexity
Through these grandchildren as well as the parents and guardians who came along, I would like to extend my greetings to the people everywhere. (I request) to continue our efforts to overcome the obstacles that lie ahead of us. We estimate that there will be many difficulties that lie ahead of us, including the international problems that are making things even more complicate. Covid-19 has been one major problem, and the Russian-Ukraine war has affected oil prices and could cause shortage of food in the world. (Therefore) I have to focus on agricultural production. Russia and Ukraine are major producers of wheat. Now they can no longer produce. So next year there may be food shortages. We are not in trouble here, but the effect will be on us.
The Royal Government wanted Good Political Environment for Election Process
I am very proud and thankful to our people. Hopefully in the future, the election will be safe, peaceful and free to choose (whichever party you like). Let the upcoming elections in our country not be violent in any form. Please think carefully, competing here in a normal democratic process is not a fight to kill each other in a win-lose situation. 17 parties will compete for votes. What the government wants is security and a good political environment for a democratic process in the election […]./.
