Pedagogy in Cambodian Schools

Abstract

As discussed in the previous chapters, Cambodian primary education has experienced rapid expansion of access in the last decade. As a result, one priority for policy in the primary education subsector shifted from quantitative expansion in 2000s to qualitative improvement in 2010s. One of the measures taken by the government in cooperation with development partner is to improve classroom practices by replacing traditional, “chalk-and-talk” practices with modern, student-centered pedagogies, which are now elaborated and incorporated in a comprehensive framework called Child Friendly School (CFS).¹ Having been piloted since 2002, CFS became a national policy in 2007, thereby implying that all primary schools should employ child friendly approaches. Indeed, reforming teaching and learning is the second dimension of CFS framework and the most important challenge to many primary schools (Table 4.1).

This chapter is based on the author’s dissertation, How Cambodian pedagogical reform has been constructed: A multi-level case study submitted to Michigan State University.