Establishment of Institutional Policies for Enhancing Education Quality in Cambodian Universities

In alignment with the Royal Government of Cambodia's Vision 2050 and response to Industry 4.0 demands, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports has initiated higher education reforms to build human capital. Despite the rapid increase in higher education institutions, from 1 in 1979 to 189 by 2022–2023, student services remain underdeveloped and inadequately supported. This qualitative study explores key challenges in implementing student services across Cambodian HEIs and examines strategic recommendations to improve support systems. Using purposive sampling, 67 participants from seven stakeholder groups were interviewed through semi-structured, one-on-one, and focus group discussions. Thematic analysis identified challenges such as assessment and attention mechanisms, structured and action plans, human and digital infrastructure, physical infrastructure and facilities, budget constraints, and student perspective. To address these issues, the study proposes a strategic and collaborative approach, involving parent ministries, industry and communities, development partners, religion, parents and guardians, and institutional actors. This study offers practical, stakeholder-informed recommendations to enhance student services, which are vital to improving student success, institutional resilience, and the overall quality of higher education in Cambodia.

A major policy change was made in 1997 when the Royal Government of Cambodia began to privatize higher education institutions (HEIs). As a result of this reform, there were 189 HEIs in 2024, up significantly from just 8 in the late 1990s. To uphold and ensure the quality of higher education, the Accreditation Committee of Cambodia was established in 2003 as a formal legal mechanism for accreditation. Student Service is essential for improving higher education quality and students’ learning outcomes. Student Services was the fifth of nine standard criteria used to assess the quality of higher education in Cambodia. However, researchers and relevant higher education sectors have not yet shown interest in the student service area in the higher education system in Cambodia. This qualitative research study aims to explore stakeholders involved in supporting student services in higher education in Cambodia. The semi-structured interview was deployed with a purposive sampling of ten key informants from relevant institutions. This interview was in a face-to-face format. The key finding of this research revealed that seven stakeholders support student service in Cambodia's higher education. They are parent ministry, industry and community, development partner, higher education institutions, parent and guardians, religion, and student and alumni. Based on the findings, enhancing and maintaining student service quality requires the involvement of all stakeholders, high commitment, cohesive cooperation, and the upholding of student interests. Particularly, higher education institutions (HEIs) should prioritize creating a supportive environment that facilitates seamless student service processes.

Compared with those of its more advanced ASEAN peers, Cambodia’s higher education system is still in its infancy. Its higher education governance, financing and financial management are neither sophisticated nor robust enough to deliver high-quality, relevant higher education to the society and economy. Higher education institutions have mushroomed amid inadequate regulation, supervision and support to meet national needs. The current legal framework for higher education has perpetuated an inefficient, fragmented and reactive regulatory regime. Similarly, the development of the subsector has been dictated by a distorted market system without comprehensive policy or well-thought-out state intervention. This study explores the current governance of higher education in Cambodia. It overviews conceptual discussions and examines key governance issues in public higher education. It reflects also on practices across Southeast Asia to draw academic and policy implications for improving public higher education governance in Cambodia.

Higher education is essential for any nation. Countries that recognize the significance of higher education focus on improving the quality of their higher education. This article focuses on the role of universities in promoting reforms in higher education in Cambodia and how the universities have failed to play this critical role. It highlights how Cambodian universities have been unable to contribute to meaningful reforms in the higher education sector. It also discusses vital challenges to higher education development, such as inadequate access to higher education, politicization and commercialization of the sub-sector, and insufficient professional development for university teachers. The article concludes with recommendations on how Cambodian universities can contribute to accelerating reforms to improve higher education in Cambodia.

PurposeThe purpose of the article is to examine the motivation of the academics in a developing country, Cambodia, which is an under-researched country in order to look into the satisfaction level of the academics in various aspects of academic profession. This study helps inform policy makers and other stakeholders in higher education in Cambodia about the current status quo of academic profession in Cambodia, which acts to impede the quality of higher education in this country.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed a survey design to examine the motivation of academics in a periphery country, Cambodia. The result from an online survey via Microsoft Form of 278 academics currently working at three public universities and four private universities across the country revealed that academics in higher education institutions in Cambodia were satisfied with their job (Mean = 4.1, SD = 0.74) and the organizational culture and value (Mean = 3.9, SD = 0.77), but dissatisfied with their salary (Mean = 3.1, SD = 0.90). The mean score of other variables also skewed toward happiness, yet this mean score remained low (between 3.2 and 3.8). Furthermore, the result from t-test and one-way ANOVA showed no significant difference in job satisfaction between public and private academics and among academics from different employment statuses. Job satisfaction of academics in this study did not come from salary or work environment, but may have come from the flexibility and status quo of academic career in Cambodia, in which the majority of academics have additional job while many others (38% of the participants) treat teaching as their secondary job and at the same time maintain the title as academic or even professor, which is relatively well-respected in Cambodia society, despite poor salary. The complexity of academic career in this context may present major setbacks to the quality of higher education in this periphery country.FindingsThis study revealed that although academics in higher education in Cambodia were satisfied with their job and organizational culture and value, they were not satisfied with their work environment and salary. The result from this study indicated that the reason why salary did not determine the satisfaction level of academics was that most of the academics in Cambodia higher education have additional job or business in addition to teaching. Moreover, they have other full-time jobs outside higher education and they can still teach part-time to earn extra income.Research limitations/implicationsSince this study generated only 278 responses from academics, these data remain small compared to the whole population. Thus, this may affect the generalization of the finding to the larger population.Practical implicationsThis study helps fill the existing gaps in literature on higher education in Cambodia and the findings from this study can be used to make informed decision regarding quality of higher education in Cambodia.Social implicationsHigher education is a social institution that helps maintain professionalization of all professions and improve students competitiveness. Improving quality of higher education means that academics themselves need to be professional and ethical toward teaching. This research pointed out the unethical practices of academic procession, which in turn, de-professionalize academics and downgrade the quality of higher education in Cambodia.Originality/valueThis study provides a fresh insights into the motivation of academics in Cambodia higher education. This study also provides the framework for academic motivation in a developing country.

PurposeThe paper aims to ascertain the governance arrangements of higher education providers in Cambodia and to seek insights into institutional governance while its higher education sector is in a significant transition towards the market model.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical research underpinning this paper applies a qualitative method, based on an interpretivist approach to inquiry. The study uses semi-structured interviews with 38 key research participants from relevant institutions. The data analysis follows a thematic coding approach.FindingsThe study has found that despite their divergent governance arrangements, three forms of higher education providers – public institution, public administrative institution and private institution – have become increasingly similar because of their convergent trend towards commercialization and politicization. These two critical issues are considered threats to institutional development in Cambodia.Research limitations/implicationsThe interviews were conducted with the key actors at leadership and management levels. This leaves room for future research to investigate the institutional governance issue at faculty and student levels to develop a deeper understanding about the on-the-ground implementation. This paper is a useful information source for policymakers, institutional leaders and educational practitioners.Originality/valueThis paper addresses the under-researched issue of institutional governance in Cambodia and critically examines the assumption that devolution and privatization of higher education in Cambodia will help advance the sector for economic development. The paper contributes to the ongoing academic debate in the higher education domain while higher education institutions are struggling to sustain their place in the competitive marketplace.

In the 1990s, the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) initiated the privatization of higher education institutions (HEIs. This policy shift led to a dramatic increase in the number of HEIs, expanding from only 8 in the late 1990s to 189 in the academic year 2022–2023. Alongside this growth, students’ enrollment number surged from 175,962 in the academic year 2021–2022 to 237,243 in 2022–2023. The transition from secondary to higher education represents a significant change for students. Currently, there is not many research studies that mainly focus on the first – year student challenges in higher education in Cambodia. This qualitative research aims to explore the challenges faced by first-year students in Cambodia’s HEIs. A semi-structured interviews was selected with the participants purposively selected from six public and private HEIs. In sum, there are fifty-seven participants in total from the six HEIs and other relevant institutions to contribute to the study. The findings indicate that first-year students encounter several challenges such as academic challenges, personal challenges, social integration challenges, transition to career-oriented learning challenges, and adaptation to available student services challenges. The results underscore the need for HEIs to prioritize creating a supportive environment that fosters a smooth transition, encouraging student retention and continuity into subsequent years.

The Royal Government of Cambodia envisions transforming the country into a middle-income nation by 2030 and a developed nation by 2050, focusing on building human capital to foster a knowledge-based society. As a result, Cambodia's number of higher education institutions (HEIs) has grown significantly over the past decade. Notably, student services have been identified as the fifth criterion to ensure that Cambodian higher education meets regional and global standards. However, up to now, there has been much research focused on student services in Cambodia HEIs. This study, therefore, strives to fill this gap by identifying the benefits of student services in Cambodia's higher education sector. This study explores the impact of student services on student learning outcomes in higher education in Cambodia, an area that has received limited attention from researchers and relevant education sectors. Using a qualitative approach, purposive sampling was used to conduct semi-structured interviews with 38 key informants from various institutions. The interviews included face-to-face discussions with key informants and focus group discussions with students. The research identified four main benefits of student services: academic development, personal development, career development, and citizenship development. The findings suggest that enhancing student service quality is essential for HEIs to create a supportive environment that promotes student learning and ensures overall HEI quality. Key recommendations are given for policymakers and HEI stakeholders in Cambodia based on the findings, particularly the potential advantages for HEIs in using student services to guarantee their financial stability and greater quality of education.

ABSTRACTThis paper discusses a number of key issues in English education and research in Cambodia. Multiple studies on Cambodia often suggest that English is a key component required to transform the standard of life of common Cambodians (Clayton ). To understand the phenomenon of the ever‐increasing demand for English in the country, we conducted a series of semi‐structured interviews with teachers and students followed by a needs analysis of English language learners in a tertiary institution. Our findings suggest that these future employees have a great enthusiasm for learning English mostly mediated by economic imperatives, in a changing world that prioritizes proficiency in the English language. Moreover, it was also found that research in higher education in Cambodia has gained increasing interest among English lecturers and students in the Cambodian academic community.

Higher education in Cambodia has experienced positive and impressive progress over the last few decades. However, more efforts are needed to bring about further positive changes and new developments to the sector. This article aims to discuss key challenges facing higher education in Cambodia in relation to the need to promote its quality. The article brings to the fore six major challenges, including limited resources and infrastructure, political influence, weak institutional and sectoral governance, consequences of higher education privatization, low academic salaries, and limited opportunities for continuing professional development (CPD). The article also provides a set of recommendations to address these challenges, focusing on introducing a mechanism to improve resources and infrastructure, keeping political interference to a minimum, improving institutional and sectoral governance, bifurcating universities into research-intensive and teaching-intensive universities, introducing an improvement or reform to incentive and salary systems, and promoting CPD engagement among Cambodian university teachers. The article concludes with an argument for a reform of the Cambodian higher education sector to bring it to a higher stage of development.

This study investigates the impact of digital transformation (DT) on teaching and learning outcomes in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Cambodia. This research examines the implementation, challenges, and effects of DT initiatives using a survey questionnaire distributed to management, academic, and support personnel and students from public and private HEIs. The findings reveal widespread implementation of DT in Cambodian HEIs, with a high level of perceived effectiveness. The positive correlation between DT and improved teaching and learning outcomes, such as student satisfaction, academic performance, and educator effectiveness, supports the hypothesis that DT enhances the quality and delivery of higher education in Cambodia. However, the study also identifies several challenges, including financial constraints, digital literacy, technological infrastructure, institutional leadership support, and resistance to change. Addressing these barriers through targeted strategies and investments is crucial for the successful and sustainable adoption of digital technologies in Cambodian higher education. Additionally, the study confirms the moderating effects of technological readiness, educator competencies, student digital skills, and leadership styles on the relationship between DT and teaching and learning outcomes. Among these factors, student digital skills emerged as the strongest moderator, emphasizing the importance of enhancing digital literacy among students to maximize the benefits of DT.

PurposeThis study analyzes the significance of various attributes of developmental psychology developed by male and female students within higher education institutions (HEIs) in Cambodia. It also focuses on the mismatch between planned enrollments and the final selection of a course, and the knowledge and skills accessed during the study.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 463 students (267 female) was selected for a survey from two private and two public universities, located in both Phnom Penh and other provincial locations.FindingsIt was found that (1) the Cambodian Sustainable Development Goal targets related to quality education are likely to be achieved by 2030, but this will require close monitoring of the targets. While it is likely that the male ratio will be accomplished by 2030, this is less certain for the female ratio. (2) There was a mismatch between the planned enrollment and actual course selection for just under half (49.2%) of students surveyed due to high tuition fees, a lack of scholarships, unavailability of preferred courses, failure to gain admission and parental influence. This mismatch was higher for female students for all of these factors except for parental influence. (3) Students indicated a high degree of access to knowledge and skills, except for technological literacy, economic aspects and interpersonal effectiveness. Overall, male students were found to access a higher degree of both knowledge and skills. (4) The developmental psychology of students was found to be significantly influenced by decision-making ability, empathy, people skills, community engagement and voluntary work.Research limitations/implicationsThere were a number of limitations in carrying out this research. For example, discussions were separately organized at each university; the authors did not organize a consultative meeting gathering all the students from the four universities to discuss and get consensus. Moreover, the study did not cover the interviews of parents to gain their views regarding support for their children at HEIs.Practical implicationsImprovement in key aspects of developmental psychology for male students was found to be more significant than for female students, except for intellectual capacity.Social implicationsStill, improvement in the adopt of developmental psychology is required at HEIs in Cambodia and developing countries. Improved developmental psychology among students at universities has been shown to result in a significant enhancement in study performance and competencies. These competencies range from cognitive and intellectual capacity, associated with thinking and analysis; and emotional and social capacity, associated with the development of a societal vision. Students who develop cognitive and intellectual capacity tend to perform tasks more accurately and efficiently, make decisions more effectively and respond intelligently to new or complex circumstances. Students who develop emotional and social capacity are better guided toward focusing on caring for others in the community and establishing peaceful and safe environments. An important implication of the developmental psychology of students within HEIs in Cambodia is the holistic nature of education integrating knowledge, skills, competencies and social responsibility. HEIs should take on the role of equipping students with both cognitive and intellectual capacities for employment; as well as the emotional and social capacities required to build a society based on mutual trust and harmony. Improving the psychological development of students at HEIs in Cambodia may also be significant in achieving the CSDG targets. In terms of policy, HEIs should integrate opportunities for this to be included in the curriculum to increase the opportunities for students to engage in practice-based learning and community engagement activities. This will require providing sufficient learning materials and equipment to enable students to self-learn, think, analyze and innovate, using theories obtained in class, at home. This should be coupled with community engagement programs that provide students with the opportunity to work in the field. All knowledge and skills accessed by students should be integrated with the development of both cognitive and intellectual capacities. Further, social activities organized by HEIs are required to assist in developing the emotional and social capacity of students to interact with communities.Originality/valueThe paper is solely conducted and prepared by SOK Serey, CHEB Hoeurn, CHHINH Nyda, BO Chan Koulika and NGUONPHAN Pheakdey. The findings of the research produce both quantitative and qualitative information on the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals at higher education in Cambodia. In particular, this research is one of the most pioneer academic research studies conducted by a local scholar from Cambodia.

Higher education in Cambodia has made noteworthy strides in recent years. However, as the country experiences rapidly evolving economic needs and technological advancements, the mismatch between the skills graduates possess and those demanded by the job market remains a focal point of discussion. This article aims to discuss the issue of skills mismatches in higher education in Cambodia. It provides an understanding of skills mismatches in Cambodian higher education and delves into the major causes of this pressing issue, including limited public investment in higher education, limited involvement of concerned stakeholders, limited use of up-to-date curricula and teaching methods, limited English proficiency, lack of career guidance for students, and a low level of research engagement among Cambodian academics. The article offers solutions to address this pressing issue by emphasizing potential measures, such as providing sufficient orientation to students on the selection of majors in higher education, enhancing government-university-industry linkages, establishing a clear roadmap for improving higher education quality, modernizing curricula and teaching methods, encouraging learner autonomy and a culture of lifelong learning, promoting diversity and inclusion in higher education, enhancing the circulation of information about the job market and industrial needs, and improving the quality and research capacity of faculty members. The article argues that addressing skills mismatches in Cambodian higher education requires a genuine reform and concerted efforts from all concerned stakeholders. It concludes with suggestions for future research.

Understanding stakeholders' perspectives on recent initiatives to promote research and development in higher education in Cambodia

The range of outcomes and published record on the Transcendental Meditation technique across 50 years of research in education, business, and government makes its application unique. Its association with health and relation to an individual’s quality-of-life have also made the technique useful in some developing countries.
 Data related to application of the technique to higher education in Cambodia have been accruing since the early 1990s. The 26-year research program begun by these authors associated with Transcendental Meditation and non-verbal intelligence, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, learning, memory, and personality in university students, as well as its collective effects on economic and social indicators and reductions in socio-political violence and crime, makes for an uncommonly rich body of knowledge in a country where empirical research has been rare. Indeed, the early studies in this research program represented among the first published research on higher education since the 1960s, after which Cambodia was plunged into civil war, genocide, and ongoing social turmoil and political conflict until 1993.
 The present study, which is a modified version of a study previously published in ASEAN Journal of Education, extends this research program to include a preliminary investigation of the practice of Transcendental Meditation by faculty and staff in three regional Cambodian universities and examines its impact on health and well-being. Findings generated by a concurrent, quasi-experimental mixed methods design suggest the practice may be of benefit to university personnel as measured by physical mental and social health, perceived health, self-esteem, anxiety, and depression, among other quality-of-life variables, thereby adding to previous results associated with higher education in this increasingly important south-east Asian nation.