Pixel International Conferences

The Khmer Rouge genocide has left Cambodia with diminished resources and cultural capital as countless people responsible for the transmission of cultural and educational heritage were murdered, educational institutions were closed, and the traditional links between different layers of Cambodian society were broken. Today, Cambodia seeks to rebuild these connections and restore its capacity to participate in the regional and global economies as a valuable contributor. The new higher education STEM reforms target a range of issues including higher education teaching, curriculum and teacher qualifications, supporting advanced research in priority areas, and strategic sectoral governance. Without a doubt, the impact of these changes will be felt across the sector and will benefit disciplines that are less directly linked with the objectives of STEM education. Proper planning and stakeholder engagement are the key challenges that Cambodia needs to address in order to modernise its education system and, in the process, build resourceful communities. Success of education reforms depends on the people at all levels of the system and rebuilding of the community will need to be part of Cambodia’s higher education reforms. The present study concerns itself with the processes by which Cambodia’s higher education institutions address, and plan for, community engagement in order to facilitate a better embedding of the country’s education policies and programs within the broader needs and values of the country. Previous studies conducted in Cambodia in the area of higher education reforms showed serious gaps in this respect. The present study engaged policy planners and the key higher education institutions in Cambodia that are being most impacted by the current STEM reforms. In the first instance, the researchers conducted a needs analysis to inform the process of implementation of the STEM reforms. In the next step, the researchers developed a questionnaire in order to examine the expectations that informed the implementation strategies of the respective higher education institutions in regard to community engagement.  The study will report its findings. The study is part of the evaluation process developed by Directorate General of Higher Education in Cambodia to inform its policies and their impact on the community. 

Keywords: Policy Implementation, Higher Education;