For many years I have been interested in the Angkor Project and the Angkor study tour has always been something I wanted to do. This January everything aligned for me in terms of work and family commitments, and I was finally able to fulfil this desire and my partner, a non-teacher, joined me in this experience.
The planning for me as participant began back in March when I saw the expression of interest for the Cambodian study tour in Ed-e-mail and I subsequently met up with other interested DoE staff who were considering this great opportunity. After a few catchups and planning sessions in 2023, 22 of us, a mix of Principals, teachers, education assistants and a couple of family members, had the time of our lives in Cambodia.
We began with three days in Siem Reap where we gained a cultural appreciation of Cambodia. The highlights were the visits to Angkor Wat where our tour guide managed to get an archaeologist from the Museum of Cambodia to run our tour on his day off work! The following day we boarded our tour bus to Ta Prohm temple, Angkor Thom complex including Bayon. We saw the influence of pre-Angkor period to the Khmer empire and beyond, as well as viewing where Tomb Raider was filmed. We visited a Buddhist temple where we were blessed by monks.
It was then time to leave for the capital of Phnom Penh, which we did by taking the road with Ancient Bridge and then joined onto the newly instated highway China built. Our first official role began with our meeting at the Australian Embassy. Here we learnt about education in Cambodian and the inequality of this. Whilst we understood the history of the Khmer Rouge revolution led by Pol Pot and its devastation of the education system, at this meeting we were offered an insight into the lasting impact. After this we hit the stationery shops as our last stop before heading to Kampong Speu– what we were truly there for.
School visit: Kampong Speu
We pulled up at the Provincial Education Office in Kampong Speu Province and met with our sister school partners through the Angkor Project. Here we were welcomed with open arms for our generosity in time we spent in their schools modelling teaching approaches for their staff which may or may not have qualifications, and exposing their students to English. In addition to this, they of course recognised the financial contributions the Angkor Project has made to the 24 sister schools from 2006 which is over $700,000 to date. They explained to us the distribution of these funds to essential items such as toilets, drinking water, electricity and IT. Although, the toilets at my school did not work, and there were only three to begin with for staff and student use.
As I walked into Ang Sery Primary School I looked around at the red sand and broken swings in my holidays and had that initial, ‘what am I doing here?’ thought. Then I saw a student sneak out of a class, peer their head around a pillar, smile and then run into class with the news of the arrivals and that thought was immediately replaced with excitement. I later discovered via the interpreter who accompanied me, that majority of the students had not seen a pale skinned person in their lives as Kampong Speu is a self-sufficient province. My school had 690 students and catered for students from P-6 with all students starting at 7am and majority finishing at 11.30am. A lucky two classes get to return for afternoon classes and this is done on a rotational basis for Year 4, 5 and 6 classes and is due to a teacher shortage of those able to work a full day in the school. Majority of the morning teachers work a different, higher paying job in the afternoons and evenings. The classrooms all had students sitting in rows of shared wooden bench seat and desks with between 45 and 63 students per class. I was fortunate that the classes I taught in all had a working fan due to high temperatures. The classrooms are solid concrete walls with a sand ground which I am told floods during the year. The concrete walls have jail like gaps for ‘windows’ which are complete with metal bars.
The teaching approach used by the teachers in Cambodia is very chalk and talk with students quietly copying down whatever is written on the whiteboard in Khmer. The whiteboard being a piece of glass with white paper behind it mounted to the wall – which was really nice to write on. One of the aims of the Angkor Project is to share contemporary teaching practices through modelling whilst we are there. So my lessons were predominantly Paul Swan maths games, team drawing activities or jigsaws so I could teach them about Australia and family words in English. At my school the teachers spoke limited English and only a handful of students had access to private English tuition, so I relied heavily on the amazing interpreter who accompanied me. The thing I loved about working with these children, was their happiness. Schooling is not compulsory in Cambodia and it is seen a privilege, they choose to be at school, they want to learn, they are proud.
We then returned to Phnom Penh for our final days of the study tour. Here we took some time to eat, shop, swim, indulge in cocktails, massages, sleep whatever we felt like, before a confronting day at the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum or S21. From here the day continued in the same way heading to the Choeung Ek Killing Field. Our final day involved a city tour and much joy after the heavy day before, culminating with a river cruise and evening festivities.
For me the Study Tour school experience was a truly humbling yet enjoyable and unexpectedly social twelve days. Glad I took the opportunity and recommend for any leaders or staff.