Sam Rany, Ph.D.

Yojana Sharma 06 March 2013 Issue No:262   Students from the UK and US have different reasons for overseas study. British students say a major motivation is to work abroad and prepare for a career with international companies, while most US students view a period abroad as an opportunity to travel and explore other cultures, with less emphasis on the academic experience or job prospects afterwards. Despite the oft-repeated notion that students in these English-speaking countries lack foreign language skills, four out of five respondents considering overseas study from both countries said they felt confident using a foreign language – and of the top 10 overseas study destinations chosen by UK and US students, seven were non-English-speaking countries. Nonetheless 29% of UK students considering studying overseas said the US was their first choice destination, while 22% of US students chose the UK, according to a new British Council survey , Broadening Horizons: Breaking throu

Global Times 09 March 2013 Issue No:262   The trend of learning through open online courses has made its way to China, as more of the country's top universities unveil public courses. The first cross-university open class for college students in Shanghai kicked off last Tuesday night, reports Global Times . The city's university course-sharing platform formally began registering students from 30 schools in the municipality, and the course "Introduction to Philosophy", offered by Professor Wang Defeng with Fudan University, became the first-ever cross-university public course, welcoming 1,072 students last Tuesday. Attempts to open resources at top universities to the public have gained popularity in the past two years. "I have a dream that everyone who wants to go to Peking University can see their wishes come true," said Zhou Qifeng, president of Peking University. Full report on the Global Times site   The trend of learning through open

The Washington Post 09 March 2013 Issue No:262     Out of sight, tension has continued to build between University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan and Helen Dragas, rector of the institution's board of visitors, as they struggle for control over the university’s agenda and priorities, according to several people close to the situation, writes Jenna Johnson for The Washington Post . In recent weeks, the conflict hit boiling point. Days after Virginia lawmakers confirmed Dragas’ reappointment to the board in January, the rector sent the president a lengthy and detailed list of goals to meet this year. Sullivan, apparently incensed, responded by sending the entire board an email arguing that the 65 goals constitute, among other things, “micro-management”. The university is still recovering from the events of the summer, when Dragas and another board leader asked Sullivan to resign in early June without publicly providing reasons. Faculty revolted, demanding Sullivan’

The National 09 March 2013 Issue No:262   Teaching in Arabic should be compulsory in state universities in the United Arab Emirates, Federal National Council members and linguistic and education experts have urged, writes Wafa Issa for The National . Lessons taught in English are "a clear violation of the country's constitution", said Jamal Al Mehiri, a cultural advisor in the Dubai government. Article 7 of the constitution states that "the official language of the federation is Arabic", he said. "I am asking that the Federal National Council require UAE universities and schools to teach in Arabic, otherwise we will take to court any university that imposes English on our children.” The comments and others were made at a seminar on the status of Arabic, its future and its relation to national identity, the last in a series of meetings between the committee and educational and linguistic experts. The committee will issue a report to the coun

David Jobbins 05 March 2013 Issue No:262     Three UK universities have dropped out of the top 100 in the latest Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings, while Australia continues to build its presence. The US, which has more universities than any other nation in the top 100, has lost two universities since the ranking began. The 2013 rankings, published on Monday, seal Harvard University’s place at the head of an elite 'top six' of Anglo-American universities that continue to move further ahead of the rest. Harvard University (pictured) is followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, the University of California – Berkeley, and Stanford University. Although Oxford traded places with Stanford this year, membership of the top six has remained consistent since the rankings’ first edition in 2011, "with the gap between it and the chasing pack widening each year", according to

Yojana Sharma 08 March 2013 Issue No:262   Higher education is often seen as playing a ‘soft power’ role in international relations. But it is not easy for governments to co-opt universities, and soft power can be both positive and negative, an international higher education conference in Dubai heard this week. Dorothea Rüland, secretary general of Germany’s Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), said at the British Council’s Going Global conference on 5 March that using higher education for soft power had become more difficult, despite the growing importance of the sector. In a panel on “Soft Power: Higher education and cultural diplomacy”, delegates heard that the emergence on the scene of new players such as China had changed the landscape of soft power using higher education, which had previously been based on the strength of a country’s higher education and research sectors. A totally different environment Many more emerging countries “want to be players. They

Last Updated on 08 March 2013 By Stuart White   Cambodia's government ranks among the worst in the world in terms of budget transparency and has shown zero improvement since 2010, according to a biennial report released by an international transparency group yesterday. According to the report from International Budget Partnership, which was presented at a conference by a coalition of NGOs including the NGO Forum and Transparency International Cambodia, the country scored 15 out of a possible 100 points – the same as in 2010 – putting its score between Nigeria and Egypt in a group of countries identified as providing “scant or no information” about their budgets. The failing grade, the report says, is largely attributable to the Kingdom’s failure to make key budgetary documents – such as draft budgets and audit reports – accurate, useful and available to the public. “Publishing the [budget] report, making it transparent, is just part of the process,” maintained

Last Updated on 28 February 2013 By Siv Meng   Property experts say foreign companies are coming to invest in Cambodia’s property sector, as they see the growth and potential of the Kingdom. Sung Bonna, director of Bonna Realty Group, said that the number of foreign companies in the sector has grown, and most are from South Korea, Japan, China, Singapore and Malaysia. Chinese companies started their investments earliest, while other foreign companies have been studying and doing research about Cambodia before investing here. “The property investment companies growth rose a little bit during 2011-212 as it grew better during 2012 and early in 2013”, Bonna said, “After Cambodia hosted the Asean Summit, with world leaders joining the meeting, we see the inflow of foreign investors into Cambodia, but some of them, at the moment, have been doing research and considering about the possible investment in Cambodia”. Despite the signs of more investment, Bonna warned t

By Neou Vannarin and Simon Lewis - March 8, 2013  PREAH VIHEAR TEMPLE – Several fierce battles have been fought with Thailand at this ancient temple in recent years, but last week it was an energetic game of volleyball that kept Cambodian troops on their toes as groups of tourists wandered unconcerned around the 11th-century ruins.    A Preah Vihear Authority conservation ranger drinks water. (Simon Lewis/The Cambodia Daily) Despite saber-rattling stories in the Thai press and a recent warning by Prime Minister Hun Sen that Thailand planned to attack if the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rules that land around Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia, volleyball and water were the two main concerns among troops at the temple. A number of soldiers approached by reporters said they were under strict orders not to talk to the media. But rather than staying quiet to keep the enemy in the dark about military matters, they said they were gagged after a recent rad

By Eang Mengleng and Zsombor Peter - March 8, 2013 In a bizarre twist at the Appeal Court hearing of jailed radio station owner Mam Sonando, the prosecution on Wednesday asked that judges drop the charge against Mr. Sonando of inciting antigovernment violence, but then asked the court to uphold another charge of leading an insurrection. Jailed radio station owner Mam Sonando waves to photographers from a holding room at the Appeal Court in Phnom Penh on Wednesday, during the second day of hearings to have Mr. Sonando’s 20-year jail sentence overturned. (Siv Channa)  Both charges carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years. The owner of independent Beehive Radio, Mr. Sonando was convicted on a total of six charges for stoking an alleged secessionist movement in rural Kratie province by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court in October and handed down a 20-year jail sentence in a decision widely denounced as politically motivated and aimed at stifling a popular government crit

By Youk Chhang More than 30 years after the Khmer Rouge regime, Cambodia is still struggling to build a strong foundation for human rights.  The U.N. and other international partners have helped us begin dealing with Khmer Rouge impunity and create space to talk more openly about our history and our human rights. Renewed interest in the region, showcased by U.S. President Barack Obama’s recent visit, also holds tremendous opportunities for progress in these arenas. But we must be cognizant that history often stands in the way of our optimistic visions for the future. Human rights and history are interconnected, because to have a conversation about one inevitably requires an interpretation of the other. This is what has made the Khmer Rouge tribunal so valuable. By opening a dialogue on some of the most sensitive and controversial parts of their history, Cambodians have been forced to confront basic questions on human rights, the rule of law, and the relation

INTRODUCTION Academics are judged on their ability to conduct researches that produce result which are useful to humanity; results that helps to address issues and problems in society; and produces knew knowledge that add to existing literature. School of Educational Studies is committed to producing graduate students with high quality skills and competence in research relating to educational issues, pedagogy, child development, learning theories, sociological and psychological issues in education amidst others. In line with this commitment, the school using the available excellent research facilities and well experienced faculty members provides high quality training to graduate research students in the school. Thus, the school has over the years built a good reputation in graduating student that demonstrates outstanding performance in educational research. To maintain this, the school in collaboration with the postgraduate students association conducts series of workshops and stude

Theme: Towards Sustaining Quality, International Networking and Collaboration in Postgraduate Research in Education  The Postgraduate Students Association of School of Educational Studies (PERSILA), USM in collaboration with the Postgraduate Students Association of Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia announces the call for papers for postgraduate students to participate in the 2nd International Postgraduate Colloquium of Research in Education (IPCoRE-2013). The International Postgraduate Colloquium of Research in Education (IPCoRE) is an annual international event organised by the Postgraduate Students Association of School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia and the Postgraduate Students Association of Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia. The program is intended to provide a platform for postgraduate research students to establish international research network and collaboration; and, a forum for the postgraduate students to present and discuss their research findings in

Last Updated on 05 March 2013 By Sarah Thust     About 50 per cent of Cambodian university students studied business management, but still don’t meet the private sector’s demand. Photograph: Heng Chiovan/Phnom Penh Post EVEN though about 50 per cent of Cambodian university students studied business management, the banking sector has been hesitant to recruit them, insiders said yesterday. A 2010 report by the recruitment agency HRINC (Cambodia) projected that the supply of business, marketing, management, banking and finance, economics and accounting students would be more than double the demand. The study predicted 103,000 graduates would be available, but there would be fewer than 46,000 jobs for them. A recent case study by Universiti Malaysia Kelanta explored “the gap between the business management curriculum and employability” in the Cambodian banking sector. After interviews with two curriculum designers and four recruiters, the report’s authors, Hum Chan, Abdul Azi

Last Updated on 01 March 2013 By Stuart Alan Becker   When Tauch Ngam Youra arrived in Vientiane, Laos as part of the ACLEDA team, he noticed a cultural difference between Khmer and Lao people right away. The date was December 31, 2007. He already knew the Thai language which made the Lao language easier to learn. Luckily, a Lao lady from the Women’s Union Training Center helped the ACLEDA team locate itself in temporary offices. Another lucky break was that 35 students had come from Cambodia to study at a Lao university. Those students helped promote ACLEDA Bank in Laos. “We set up temporary offices by renting a room in the training center,” Tauch said. “They came to meet us and then we tried to explain how we came to Laos and our purpose to expand our brand and network in Laos.” Tauch said that, at the time, the big challenge was to find qualified people who could speak English, understand the differences in the culture and build trust. “We had interviews with

Last Updated on 06 March 2013 By Vong Sokheng   Prime Minister Hun Sen warned voters participating in the upcoming national elections in July that if they fail to keep his Cambodian People’s Party in power, he will cancel planned development projects. Speaking to approximately 4,000 students, villagers and Buddhist monks at the groundbreaking ceremony for a road-widening project on National Road 6A in Kampong Cham province, he also said that a loss could put at risk even the tools and supplies that the CPP contributes to the populace. In particular, he placed several ongoing bridge projects in Stung Treng and Koh Kong provinces as well as the capital’s Chroy Changva II bridge on the post-election chopping block. “I am sure that if people no longer need me … I have no reason to help you [people] in the future, but I believe that people will not give up existing achievement within their hands as the opposition party has never done anything for people,” he said