Benchmarking potential factors leading to education quality

Abstract

Purpose – To study the quality in higher education in Cambodia and explore the potential factors leading to quality in Cambodian higher education.Design/methodology/approach – Five main factors that were deemed relevant in providing quality in Cambodian higher education were proposed: academic curriculum and extra‐curricular activities, teachers' qualification and methods, funding and tuition, school facilities, and interactive network. These five propositions were used to compare Shu‐Te University, Taiwan with the top five universities in Cambodia. The data came in the forms of questionnaire and desk research. Descriptive analytical approach is then carried out to describe these five factors.Findings – Only 6 per cent of lecturers hold PhD degree and about 85 per cent never published any papers; some private universities charge as low as USD200 per academic year, there is almost no donation from international organizations, and annual government funding on higher education sector nationwide in 2005 was o...