Closing Address by Samdech Hun Sen,
Prime Minister of the Royal government of Cambodia
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen, honourable national and international guests,
To start with, allow me to share my congratulations and to express my high consideration for the leadership, officials and experts of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport for their utmost physical, intellectual and spiritual efforts to formulate the Education Strategic Plan 2001-2005 and the Education Sector Support Program for 2001-2005, which are the fundamental documents for defining the goals and actions of the Royal Government’s education reform. I would also like to sincerely commend the achievement of this important work. Apart from that, I am extremely pleased to be invited to take part in today’s closing of the Round Table Meeting on the reform in the field of Education, Youth and Sport. I made similar address in late 1994, when the Royal Government was presenting the First Five-year Investment Plan 1995-2000. The current work, in this connection, presents yet another significant stage in the Royal Government’s efforts to systematically establish plans for our country’s education sector. The Royal Government presented these two key education reform papers at the recent Consultative Group Meeting in Tokyo, and won positive response and overwhelming applaud and support from the donor community. We are extremely proud that our development partners have chosen the Ministry of Education Youth and Sport as a model for implementing the new partnership approach for co-ordinating development assistance, which was an important topic for discussion during this recent Consultative Group Meeting in Tokyo.
The Royal Government of Cambodia considers education as a fundamental components of the Poverty Reduction Strategy and the Second Socio-economic Development Plan for 2001-2005. The reforms and actions that are aimed at improving education sector will enable us to build up quality and skilled human resources suitable for development in all fields, including economic, social and political sectors. Expanding access to education for all Cambodian children, allowing them to complete at least primary level, is an effective instrument of empowerment that will bring lustre back to the life of our people. Furthermore, a highly educated people provides a strong basis for Cambodia’s participation in regional and global affairs, and for consolidating and expanding the vitality and grandeur of our national culture and tradition among that of other nations.
Fully aware of their significance, the Royal Government has introduced and implemented various concrete measures to successfully accomplish these priority works. We have started to implement structural reforms in the public financial sector together with comprehensive reforms in other areas, for instance, demobilisation of the armed forces in order to increase revenues and redirect spending priority by curtailing defence and security spending and increasing budget for social and economic sectors, especially education and health. While putting in great efforts to mobilise foreign aid, the Royal Government has embarked upon policies and actions to encourage further contributions in education from the private sector and civil society.
It is true that we still have a long way to go and many obstacles to overcome. I have already elaborated on these at a number of important forums. However, on today’s auspicious occasion, allow me to highlight once again some of the key aspects in the implementation of the Royal Government’s education reform strategy.
The Royal Government has given a high priority on promoting Education For All, which was declared at the Dakar International Conference in 2000. The Royal Government is firmly committed to ensure availability of necessary resources for achieving high quality 9-year basic education for all the Cambodian children. In this context, I wish to express my wholehearted support for all the recommendations set out in the education reform programs with an aim to expand primary and lower secondary education opportunity at distant and difficult remote and urban areas. As we have all known, without equitable access to schooling we cannot hope to liberate the poor from their suffering. In light of this, I would like to call upon all donor partners to kindly provide additional supports for poor schools and poor families in both rural and urban areas, particularly those at the newly integrated and remote minority areas, who urgently need your generous help.
Recognising that reducing cost burden on the poorest families to enable all their children to go to school is an urgent necessity to ensure equitable access, the Royal Government has, recently, issued a resolution on the abolishment of enrolment fees. This is an excellent means of encouragement for poor families. I wish to also express my full support for the proposals put forth by the Ministry of Education Youth and Sport to expand the scholarship scheme and school food provision for poor children, especially girls, which will ensure their opportunity to equitable education access. In this spirit, I appeal to all donors to kindly consider providing urgent assistance in support of these schemes.
Each and everyone of us recognises the fact that it is not possible to resolve all issues in the education sector or any other sectors in a single day, month or year. As I stated during the recent Consultative Group Meeting in Tokyo, Rome was not built overnight. Therefore, it is utmost important that the Royal Government and all development partners focus their attention on the priority works that are classified in a realistic and practical order. For this reason, the Ministry of Education Youth and Sport has been chosen along with the Ministry of Health as a pilot ministry from among the four priority ministries in the implementation of the Royal Government’s new initiatives, known as Priority Action Program or PAP. I am overwhelmingly delighted to note that the concept of “Priority Action Program” has been employed as the basis for formulating the Education Strategic Plan and the Education Sector Support Program for 2001-2005.
As you have all known, the “Priority Action Program” has been formulated to ensure achievement of the goal of the Royal Government’s policy to disburse budget to local operating bodies that directly implement the Royal Government’s priorities in providing education and other social services to our people. In this way, the “ Priority Action Program” presents an essential means to ensure that the ministries, institutions and establishments concerned are clear and confident about the provision of resources for key programs of their activities, and to enable verification between the set targets, resources provided and achieved outcome in a highly accountable manner.
With regard to the implementation of the Royal Government’s decentralisation and deconcentration policy, the “ Priority Action Program” is an effective mechanism to delegate real powers and responsibilities to local operating bodies. Moreover, the Royal Government considers the “ PAP” approach as a critical measure for consolidating the Government’s financial planning systems, working program and management. The Royal Government recognizes the need and necessity to continue strengthening and improving the mechanisms of the “Priority Action Program”. The Royal Government is willing and firmly committed to tackle these challenges as soon as possible. I appeal for stronger support from all donor partners for the efforts exerted by Royal Government concerning this important work.
The Consultative Group Meeting this year 2001 put further stress on the discussions during the Meeting in Paris the previous year between the Royal Government and donor partners on the need to strengthen partnership, aiming primarily at promoting Government’s leadership and ownership of development work. I would like to express my warmest congratulation to the Ministry of Education Youth and Sport as well as all donor partners and non-governmental organisations for reaching a common understanding on paving the way towards a new form of effective partnership for co-ordinating assistance program and joint actions to develop Cambodia’s education sector under the framework of the Royal Government’s policies and strategies. Close co-operation among Government ministries and institutions and between the Royal Government and donor partners in education sector is a critical prerequisite for success in our endeavours to achieve the ultimate goal of Education For All. In addition to that, this will offer various valuable lessons and experiences for improving our co-operation in other key sectors.
The Royal Government is resolutely committed to providing additional resources for the education sector. We have set out a new political agenda on social sectors, with an aim to engender equitable distribution of the fruits of economic growth and to establish a Cambodian society of cohesive social cells with highly educated people and deep seated culture. As stated on the out set, it is for this end that Royal Government has been making active efforts to increase national revenues through broadening the base of taxation and eliminate loopholes in the tax collection system. At the same time, we have placed our attention on promoting the efficiency and equability of budget spending, through increased budget for economic and social sectors and the introduction in priority ministries of a budget system that links spending to performance. We are resolved to continue this work to further attain perfection. Nevertheless, it should be recognised that the capability of the Royal Government is still limited. Therefore, I wish to reiterate my appeal to donors and various non-governmental organisations for additional generous support to the education and health sectors. Without further help, we, namely the Royal Government of Cambodia and its development partners will certainly fail to fulfil our joint commitment made in the year 2000 in the Dakar Declaration on Education For All.
During the Consultative Group Meeting in Tokyo two weeks ago, the Royal Government indicated to our donor partners the need for a new strengthened partnership with strong emphasis on the relevance of participatory work to define program priorities and joint actions of all partners concerned. Without such a common understanding we are bound to face the risk of disagreement and overlapping work, which may result in the waste of needed resources. To avoid this problem, I call upon all donor partners and NGOs to help promote Government’s leadership and ownership in project preparation and implementation, and to regard the Education Strategic Plan and Education Sector Support Program 2001-2005 as a common framework for future co-operation and assistance in the education sector.
Genuine partnerships require long-term commitment and full participation in promoting the opportunity to education for every Cambodian child. Genuine partnerships require straightforward and open discussions in a highly constructive, serious and accountable manner. I am firmly convinced that we on the right track in the preparation of a new partnership for the education sector.
Before concluding, I would like to avail myself of this rare opportunity to reaffirm the Royal Government’s full support for the proposed education reforms. I thank this Round Table Meeting for seriously discussing in detail the important aspects which are keys to Cambodia’s education reform, including the points that I have highlighted above. I hope the discussion of this Round Table Meeting will lead to great success and will offer more substantial and significant contributions to the reforms and development of the education sector in Cambodia. I would like to once again express my profound appreciation to Your Excellencies, Lok Chumteav, ladies and gentlemen for your continued efforts to offer high quality education to the entire population of Cambodia.
Finally, allow me to extend my wishes that your Excellencies, Lok Chumteav, ladies and gentlemen here present be blessed with the five Buddhist blessings of longevity, status, happiness, power and intelligence.
Thank You