Phnom Penh (FN), May 29 – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet advised higher education institutions to consider including Khmer language, arts, culture, virtue, morality, and history in higher education program.
The premier spoke during a courtesy call by the delegation of the Cambodian Higher Education Association (CHEA), led by Chairman of the Board of Directors Heng Vanda, on 28 May 2024 at the Peace Palace.
Samdech Thipadei underlined that regardless of a nation's level of development, it must preserve its national identity, virtues, and morals to uphold human values.
Heng Vanda briefed Samdech Thipadei on the work’s progress, participation in social activities, and proposed some suggestions.
Samdech Thipadei thanked the association for its efforts to fulfil its mission to improve the students’ education quality and strengthen the professional ethics of professors and educational staff at all levels to ensure sustainability in each institution and participation in social activities with the Royal Government.
The premier also praised the participation of the private sector, especially the members of the association, who have actively contributed to the Royal Government and the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports in the development of education and human capital training. The premier particularly noted the increase and expansion of education services at all levels nationwide, as well as efforts to provide quality education services to meet the demands of Cambodia's socioeconomic development.
Premier Hun Manet pointed out that the seventh-mandate Royal Government will continue to implement policies to promote the education sector by prioritising building human capital with capacity and health, modernization, and technology extraction to contribute to socioeconomic development, making it more prosperous and resilient.
The Royal Government continues to regard the private sector as a partner, an important operator in contributing to the Royal Government in all sectors, the premier added.
On this occasion, Samdech Thipadei also urged the association to pay attention to three main tasks as follows:
1. Review the possibility of cooperating with ministries and institutions to train skills that meet the demand of these ministries and institutions, and cooperate with the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training to meet the labour market demand in Cambodia.
2. Assist in planning, implementation, and shared responsibility by participating in the Public-Private Partnership mechanisms to strengthen and expand the development of the education sector in Cambodia, as well as establish mechanisms to monitor each sector.
3. Incorporate curricula about the Khmer language, arts, culture, morality, virtue, and history.
Regarding the request of the CHEA, Samdech Thipadei decided as follows:
1. Agree to continue providing favourable conditions to public and private educational institutions, including exemptions from income tax, minimum tax, value-added tax, and withholding tax on interest and dividends from 2024 to 2028, in accordance with the content of letter No. 252 of the Council of Ministers dated 27 February 2023. The Ministry of Economy and Finance has already issued a proclamation on 20 March 2024 on tax incentives for education.
2. Agree to continue extending the implementation of the transitional penalty of the Accounting and Auditing Regulator. However, educational institutions must implement conditions such as maintaining correct accounting records, preparing financial statements, and submitting these statements to the regulator. Educational institutions should also make clear plans to participate in researching and training of accounting standards prepared by the Accounting and Auditing Regulators and other training institutions to promote active dissemination and training aligned with sharp reform measures as an existing package.
3. Agree to offer a hall on the first floor of the library building of Samdech Techo and Samdech Kittipritthbandit for the association to use in its daily work.
Lastly, Samdech Thipadei urged the CHEA to maintain a strong focus on enhancing education quality, ensuring that students from higher education institutions possess superior skills for the labour market. He underlined that this would enable them to significantly contribute to the Royal Government's efforts in developing intellectual capital among the youth, preparing them to become future leaders and strong pillars of the nation.
=FRESH NEWS
