– Your Venerable Monks,
– Distinguished National and International Guests,
– Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
– Dear Students!
Today, me and my wife have a great honor and pleasure to join Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen at the Degree-Handover Ceremony for 1,893 law and economics students of Bachelor and Master levels and inauguration of the new library in Beung Trobek High School. The achievement we have received today actually contribute to Cambodian social development, especially it contributes directly to our education sector. At the same time, I would like to express my enthusiasm and compliments to all students for their efforts to study and their bright successes as witnessed today.
On behalf of the Royal Government and myself, I would like to convey my sincere appreciation to the management, personnel, and all professors of the University for fulfilling their duties for the past academic years and the current tasks of setting direction for the new academic year. I also would like to highly evaluate the accomplishment of the Royal University of Law and Economics for its contribution to strengthen and extend the national achievement in human resource development in Cambodia during time of need for high quality intellectual capital to ensure the competitiveness of the nation and to play key role in guaranteeing sustainable development of all areas.
Indeed, the fruitful results achieved today also attributed to the active participation from national and international communities in implementing the Rectangular Strategies of the Royal Government in all sectors, and this trend has been making remarkable progresses. These participations are vital elements for ascertaining unprecedented national unification, peace and stability all over the country. Along with that, the Royal Government has always pays particular attention on the living standard of the people, especially our future generations to have a healthy living. In this sense, we have tried our utmost to make sure that the people have the opportunity to get educated with skills and suitable capacity to work, generate enough income for living, food, clothes and entertainment…etc. These living requirements are the spiritual and emotional defining factors because without them there will be no economic development, democracy and the rule of law.
The graduation ceremony and the inauguration of the new library, the main purpose of today’s gathering, is clearly seen to reflect our success in the human resource and national development, which is the most important priority in the political platform of the Royal Government. Although those important priorities are related to all areas and fields we had actually put particular focus on the four priorities for national development and rehabilitation such as: roads, water, electricity and people. In fact, during the 3rd legislature of the Royal Government, these four priorities have been strongly promoted with success leading to the creation of the slogan that goes: “As long as there are roads, water, electricity and quality people, there will be hope”.
Through the welcoming speech made by H.E. Kol Pheng, the Senior Minister and Mister of Education, Youth and Sport, during the year 2007-2008 the number of academic institutions and students have been increasing from year to year. In the mean time, the education quality needs to be strengthened continuously. The change of Cambodian education really contributes to the spirit of the Royal Government’s Rectangular Strategy. The road networks and bridges connecting cities with rural areas have been mushrooming; and the irrigation system and canal construction for agriculture development has also been promoted; and democracy has been improved in all provinces, cities nationwide, narrowing the gap between cities and rural areas.
Regarding the process of higher education either public or private, we have to particularly put more emphasis on the quality of human resource training, which is accredited and conforming to the competitive requirements of the current labor markets. It is not different from the production of goods in various factories, in which the high quality goods can be more easily integrated into the market.
Through this experience, we have thought of an educational reform, especially the higher education by having set up the Accreditation Committee of Cambodia (ACC) to improve the academic curriculum in higher education in 2005-2006. This reform is to upgrade the knowledge and practice, making sure it is consistent with the labor market requirement and the development of a standardized education system. It is also aimed at developing the human capital, especially the competent, professional, moral technicians with high spirit of working responsibility. These works are keys to the development of Cambodian education and training sector as well as contributing to the development of Cambodia at large.
In fact, educating human to become skilled and professional people to serve the nation is more time-consuming and cannot be made possible overnight as imagined or verbally said.
In addition to the speech made by H.E. Yuok Gnoy, Rector of the Royal University of Law and Economics, I would like to inform all fresh graduates that this degree is just to certify that you have successfully finished the training program at a particular level so that you may use it to seek for jobs or continue your further education. In this sense, the important thing is your personal ability, that is, what you can actually do with this degree. Therefore, I have always said repeatedly that “Learn to know not learn to pass”, meaning that it is not learning just to pass the exam with no particular skill. Moreover, you have been through a great deal of hardships, obstacles over the years for your study only, however, when you graduate from the University and get involved in real social work in the near future you will surely encounter a lot more challenges. These challenges will, of course, be the struggle for each of you in order to build on new advantages for our nation as well as to live with personal and family dignity.
Besides, I would like thank and praise the good cooperation between the Royal University of Law and Economics and development partners, and other aid providing English speaking and non-English speaking countries in achieving good results so far. At the same time, I urge the continued cooperation and support programs to ensure the sustainability and quality of human resource development in this university in order to achieve more successes which will open up the study of both law and economics.
Taking this opportunity, I would like to talk about the library which is the subject of today’s inauguration. According to the report raised by H.E. Kep Chu Tema, the Governor of Phnom Penh Municipality, I would like to show my congratulation and high appreciation for the efforts and cooperation that result in a fine and enormous building which will serve as a very useful library. Surely, in terms of modernity, this library is rated second to the library that I have first donated to the Royal University of Phnom Penh.
This library is a resource center which is equipped with modern utilities, including computers with internet-connection, to serve the purpose of studying, teaching, and research activities of the officials, professors, lecturers and students of all educational levels, as well as for people from both public and private sectors. In addition to many rooms within this library, there are also rooms that are reserved to be used as the office of the association of higher education institutes. Furthermore, I would like to urge the management of the library to pay attention to collecting domestic and oversea documents and equipping information supply and exchange utilities by making a concerted effort to communicate with other libraries in the region and the world to transform this library into a real place of new knowledge. Another important issue is the quality and efficient management, maintenance, and use of this library for long-term benefits of human resource development.
Taking this valuable moment, I would like to remind the personnel, professors, lecturers and students that education and trainings solely conducted in classrooms or schools are not sufficient, we must fill this deficiency with self-study, self-training, especially research at libraries that are the warehouses of documents and human intelligence. Learning that is complemented by self-study and self-research will further develop your capacity and brighten your knowledge and spirit.
I believe that all the 1,893 graduates will surely become knowledgeable workers that will serve our society, and your must prepare yourselves to become conscientious and moral intellectuals to take part in Cambodia’s development in the near future. Once again, I would like to show my deep appreciation and gratitude to the management, personnel, professors, and lecturers of the Royal University of Law and Economics for your substantial achievement in human resource development in Cambodia. At the same time, I would also like to extend my sincerest appreciation and gratitude to the officials of Phnom Penh Municipal Hall for their accomplishment in the construction of this fine library for the benefits of human resource development to contribute to Cambodian development.
Once again, on behalf of the Royal Government and on my own behalf, I would like to congratulate and wish all graduates with bright successes. Finally, along with this Degree-Handover and Inauguration of the New Library Ceremony, I wish Your Venerable Monks, Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen and all students the five Buddhist Blessing.
EndItem.
