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1. INTRODUCTION: EDUCATION SECTOR DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES
1.1. Responding to Broader National Development Policies and Priorities
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The formulation of the Education Strategic Plan 2006-10 (ESP 2006-10) reflects the high degree of responsibility the Ministry of Education Youth and Sport (MoEYS) takes in Cambodia's development through capacity building and human resources development. This ESP 2006-2010 has been drawn up based on the lessons learnt from the implementation of ESP 2001-05 as well as the recently revised results of ESP 2004-08 in order to build realism and applicability.
Capacity building and human resource development is one of the main strategies of the Rectangular Strategy of the Royal Government of Cambodia in the third mandate of the National Assembly. MoEYS continues to put emphasis on education quality improvement at all levels, Basic, Post Basic and Higher Education. The policies and strategies presented in the ESP 2006-10 are notable in order to accelerate the speed of education reform towards achieving all defined targets in the National Development Strategic Plan 2006-10, Cambodia Millennium Development Goals, and the Education for All National Plan 2003-2015. Emphasis is also put on strengthening the partnership between the public and private sectors for more effective resource mobilization and utilization.
1.2. Overarching Policies of the Education Sector
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The MoEYS vision is to establish and develop human resources of the very highest quality and ethics in order to develop a knowledge-based society within Cambodia.
The MoEYS mission: In order to achieve the above vision, MoEYS has the mission of leading, managing and developing the Education, Youth and Sport sector in Cambodia in responding to the socio-economic and cultural development needs and the reality of globalization.
The Ministry's long-term mission is to ensure that all Cambodian children and youth have equal opportunity to access quality education consistent with the Constitution and the Royal Government's commitment to the U.N convention on the Rights of the Child, regardless of social status, geography, ethnicity, religion, language, gender and physical form. The Ministry envisages a time when graduates from all its institutions will meet international and regional standards and will be competitive in the job markets worldwide and act as engines for social and economic development in Cambodia.
An overarching objective of the MoEYS is to achieve the holistic development of Cambodia's young people for all sectors. In addition, the Ministry intends to engender a sense of national and civic pride, high standards of morals and ethics and a strong belief in being responsible for the country and its citizens.
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport has defined three main policies as follows:
- Equitable Access to Education Services.
- Quality and Efficiency of Education Services.
- Institutional Development and Capacity Building for Decentralisation.
1.3. ESP 2006-10 Formulation and Consultation Process
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Experiences from the implementation of education reform through Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) have provided good results in the process of consultation between the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC), donors, NGOs and other stakeholders in the ESP formulation. The shift from donorship to partnership and towards government ownership demonstrates good collaboration from all stakeholders. The Ministry has been successful in establishing partnerships in the context of harmonization of external assistance.
A clear and scheduled consultation mechanism has been established through the Joint Technical Working Group (JTWG) in Education, which consists of MoEYS officials, inter-ministerial officials and staff as well as Donors and NGOs represented in the Education Sector Working Group.
In order to establish and achieve the education policies and strategies for the future, MOEYS has initiated consultation processes:
- Within MoEYS itself and with its provincial offices to ensure that this ESP is formulated with the intention of achieving targets mentioned in the Education for All national plan 2003-2015.
- With line ministries, especially with the Ministry of Planning, to ensure that this ESP responds to the Rectangular Strategy of the Royal Government of Cambodia;, contributes to the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) 2006-2010; and corresponds to the National Poverty Reduction Strategy (NPRS) as well as the Cambodia Millennium Development Goals (CMDGs).
- With the Ministry of Economy and Finance, to ensure that the budget envisaged in this ESP 2006-2010 will be realistic, sufficient and supported.
- With the Council for Administrative Reform (CAR), to ensure that the process of the education sector reform will actually respond to the public administrative reform objectives, both regarding educational staff employment and salary scale arrangements.
- With stakeholder ministries, to ensure that all related inter-ministerial issues will be strongly taken into account, especially HIV/AIDS, disability and Gender issues.
- With JTWG, to ensure that the views of donors and NGOs active in the field of education are heard.
Four regional meetings were conducted on the ESP (in combination with the ESSP) formulation to enable all levels to be informed of the key priority policies as well as to provide input to the programmes.
The ESP 2006-2010 will be officially approved and distributed nationally, produced as a CD in both Khmer and English and published on the MoEYS website (www.moeys.gov.kh).
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