Language Teaching in Cambodia

Cambodia as a developing nation, every aspect of hers needs to be improved, let alone, the current education system and language teaching. With specific focus on English, it can be seen that alongside the weaknesses of which English is taught to Cambodian people, the current realities also allows for its strengths to be observed. This essay will look at the strengths and weaknesses of English teaching in Cambodia and how those weaknesses can be improved. 

Regarding what is still poor about English teaching in Cambodia, the lack of sufficiently qualified teacher of English is a major weakness. Indeed, over the past decades, it’s an obvious trends that English is becoming more and more popular especially among the current generations of Cambodian and language schools have been growing everywhere throughout the capital city. However, the major question remains, how good is the quality of the language teaching can be guaranteed. Among those many language institutions, only select few have capacity to hire native speakers or highly skilled teachers to teach proper English, which are usually expensive and not very affordable among those from typical Cambodian families. On the other hand, normal schools only manage to employ average staff with little or no teaching experience and average English ability. For sure, as such, the students can learn something and, if they try harder, can achieve good English ability, but this good can only be a special case and great or native-like English proficiency and fluency is rather unlikely. 

Besides, lack of learning and teaching facilities in public language-teaching institutions, where most Cambodian students have access to and are able to afford, is another weakness. Most universities and schools, both public and private (the not-so-expensive ones), in Cambodia do not have enough invested in improving their facilities. There are not enough up-to-date books and reading materials, vivid teaching materials, like multi-media computerized language Laboratory, and advanced language teaching, learning and testing mechanisms. 

For strengths, one of the things that can be highlighted here can be the rapidly growing awareness of the importance of English among Cambodian people. Today’s generations of Cambodians can be seen as those with the motivation and desire to study English, understanding how much opportunity and how much good it can do to them. Such mentality, I think, is the most fundamental factor that can make it all successful. After all, it’s such motivation and desire that pushes everyone to take action. 

In conclusion, lack of human resources and lack of facilities are the major bottlenecks that are hindering language teaching in Cambodia, while the fact that most highly appreciate English ability can be regarded as our strength. In my opinion, as solutions, the Cambodian government should invest more in improving facilities and strengthening focuses on language teaching and on education in general. Once proper facilities and advanced mechanisms are in place, more and more Cambodians will know English well enough to become qualified teachers of other Cambodians. Then the weaknesses can be improved accordingly. 

A Short Exciting Life over a Long Uneventful One

There are always reasons why everyone should always stay optimistic about their lives; those reasons are so obvious that no explanation or any exact statement of them is even needed. Whether young or old, rich or poor, beautiful or ugly, there is always a reason to smile and be happy, living. With that in mind, life goes on. Then there is another thing to be curious about, once we are optimistic, happy and appreciate the meaning of life, what is the best way to live our lives? I say, life is best lived by making it as interesting and as eventful as possible, just as one saying goes, “It’s better to live a short exciting life rather a long uneventful one.” 

How many times do we get to live? Once! Can various risks of accidents or any deadly occurrences be completely eliminated from our lives? No! Do we now know, or can we determine (aside from the case of suicide), when exactly our life will return back into nothingness? No! This is life; life can be short. That’s why we have to live it to the fullest and make every moment of it meaningful and exciting. Life can be made interesting and exciting by always seeking to experience, and actually experiencing, something new and adventurous (such as: snorkeling, bungee-jumping, skydiving, eating exotic foods, climbing Everest, watching movies etc), travelling to different places and countries, meeting different people and making new friends, just to name a few ways. These may be scary, they may cost us a lot of money, and they may even be dangerous, but a long life would end with regret of not doing them even once in our lifetime. They can bring joy, push up the adrenalin in our body, and can be something for us to be excited about waking up every morning. Why do we have to over-think or care too much whether such exciting elements are going to shorten our lives, while we cannot predict until when we can live, anyway. 

Having said that and held this view about life, however, I will not be judgmental towards those that value a long, peaceful, uneventful life over that excitement. Human beings are different, and how we view the world also varies. Some people may enjoy following same routines, in which their lives are kept floating like plant spores drifting through the air, which can be their value in life and which cannot be considered wrong. Letting everything be slow and uneventful, they may feel more at ease, being less overwhelmed by risks of possible dangers that life has to face. To live longer is what’s more important to them. 

Anyhow, like aforementioned, life is lived only once, and to me, it would be meaningless to live it this one time having done so little and trying to get rid of or avoid exciting elements that can spice it all up always to new and different level. It may be short, but who cares, when we cannot even determine until we can live, anyway.