Re‐orientations in moral education in Cambodia since 1975

Abstract

In recent years, Cambodia has transitioned from a communist state to a liberal democracy following market economic practices. Transition in the political economy has, in turn, influenced education and, more specifically, moral education. In this article, I define moral education more broadly than many, as additionally dedicated to the preparation of students ideologically for participation in, or opposition to, political and economic movements at the world level. During successive communist regimes (Democratic Kampuchea, 1975–1979, and the People's Republic of Kampuchea, 1979–1989), Cambodian governments used education to prepare ‘new’ men and women capable of participation in, or withdrawal from, the international socialist revolution. Beyond advancing ways of thinking and acting appropriate in contemporary Cambodian society, moral education in the State of Cambodia (1989–1993) and the Kingdom of Cambodia (1993–present) is preparing students for participation in the world to which democratization and liberalization have led.