The Role of Stakeholders in Supporting Student Services in Higher Education in Cambodia

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Total quality management (TQM) system of higher education is related to formulating college functions, and implementing quality policy, objective and responsibilities. Higher education information resources and service quality system is continuously improved through comprehensive utilization of various quality management methods. This paper designs specific contents and implementation strategies for higher education to apply this system and finally point out tge possible problems and solutions during implementation of TQM system.

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.

The specific feature and at the same time the problem of formation of a holistic system of quality assurance of higher education in Ukraine is that the impe- tus for its formation was the adoption of the Law of Ukraine “On Higher Education” in 2014, in which all existing instruments of quality assurance of higher education were grouped for the first time within one integrated system, consisting of two subsystems – external and internal, each of which has its own list of mechanisms, tools, ways to ensure the quality of higher education, etc. Thus, the system and mechanisms for ensuring the quali- ty of higher education began to be formed and applied in practice without their prior scientific understanding and justification. Therefore, today the practice of their application is quite ambiguous and often contradictory, which does not contribute to neither a calm movement towards the gradual improvement of the quality of higher educa- tion, nor the effective spending of public funds during the development of this system. Therefore, each of these subsystems, including their components, requires its own research, understanding and justification in order to optimize all procedures, their coordination and balancing with each other, to avoid duplication and unnecessary “paperwork”. Thus, in particular, the external quality assurance system of higher education includes such a tool as licens- ing of educational activities in the field of higher education, which has undergone conceptual changes three times since 2014, which hinders both the solution of many problems by means of using this tool of quality assurance of higher education and effective operation of this tool in the market of educational services. The purpose of this article is to try to scientifically understand the mechanism of licensing of educational activi- ties in the field of higher education as one of the external tools to ensure the quality of higher education, including its components, and to make sound proposals for its further improvement. Research methods. The author used such methods of scientific cognition as general philosophical (universal), historical and logical methods, analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, abstraction, generalization, analogy and others. The main results of the study. 1. Licensing of educational activities in the field of higher education is one of the most important tools of the system of external quality assurance of higher education and a mechanism for im- plementing state policy aimed at ensuring the ability of legal entities to provide educational services in higher education. The state is directly responsible to applicants, employers and society for the development of effective regulatory policy in terms of licensing, for the development and continuous improvement of licensing conditions, for the proper organization and continuous operation of the licensing mechanism (objective and fair compliance with licensors, licensing, licenses, impartial and systematic verification of compliance with licensing conditions by each of the participants in the market of educational ser- vices, uncompromising revocation of licenses provided that the fact of non-compliance of free economic conditions with the license conditions). 2. Stability of public relations is one of the important principles of public peace and the formation of trust in the state. Therefore, the state, which is responsible to educa- tion seekers and society for the proper functioning of the market of educational services in higher education and guarantees the ability of its licensed establishments of higher education to carry out relevant activities at the appropriate level, has no moral right to conceptually change the licensing mechanism three times. It is ineffi- cient, impractical and irresponsible. Thus, in particular, only at the level of laws of Ukraine (not to mention the level of Government resolutions and orders of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine), the following con- ceptual changes took place: 1) term licenses issued for a period of 10 years were recognized by the legislator as indefinite without any transitional, balanced and compensatory mechanisms, which cannot be called a balanced state policy, taking into account previous experience in issuing licenses; 2) the licensing mechanism, which was issued specifi- cally for the field of higher education, was replaced by another - common to all types of economic activities (and these different mechanisms were in conflict for some time and “worked” at the same time); 3) the term of the applicant’s compliance with the li- cense conditions before the license was issued was signif- icantly reduced (from two months to 10 days) and the on- site inspections (directly to the establishment of education) were replaced by only a “paper” inspection. In addition, the inspection by “experts” was replaced by an inspection by “civil servants”. All this, taking into account the level of dishonesty in society, did not strengthen the responsibil- ity of the state to society for admission to the market of educational services in higher education (especially new ones), which really meet all licensing conditions and are able to provide services in higher education; 4) licensing “by specialty” (for example, “choreogra- phy” or “law”) has been replaced by licensing “at the level” (for example, a bachelor’s or master’s degree). Such a “simplification” of the licensing procedure for establishments of higher education actually eliminates any responsibility of the state to society for the ability of establishments of higher education to carry out educational activities in the relevant specialties, the list of which is approved by the Government. Scientific novelty of the research results. 1. The mechanism of licensing of educational activities in the field of higher education is considered through the prism (at an angle) of state responsibility for the quality of higher education to society, students and employers and as one of the most effective tools for public policy in higher education. Erroneousness and ineffectiveness of public policy was demonstrated, if it is not based on previous research. Conclusions and the author’s specific suggestions. 1. The quality assurance system of higher education should be the subject of in-depth and serious research, and any legislative changes should be based on the sound results of such research. Science must anticipate legislative change, and managers must base their policy decisions on scientifically sound data. 2. Improvement of the licensing mechanism should be carried out in the direction of delimitation of functions of formation of the state policy and its realization. That is, those who create the “rules of the game” do not have to follow them later, because in this case there is a real conflict of interest. The state, represented by the Ministry of Education and Science, cannot be both a regulator of the market of educational services, the founder of the vast majority of participants in this market (state establish- ments of higher education and research institutions) and a “guarantor of the ability” of all, including state-approved licensing terms. This approach cannot be considered balanced with regard to the responsibility of the state and universities for the quality of higher education. Under such conditions, everyone loses – education seekers, employers, society and the state itself. 3. Licensing should be subject to the specialty for which the establishment of education plans to provide educational services, not the level of education. The license for educational activities should be indefinite, but again – for the specialty, not for the level of education. 4. The quality of higher education cannot be ensured without the fulfillment by establishments of higher educa- tion of the minimum requirements – licensing conditions established by the state and which are the start and foundation of quality assurance. The compliance of an establishment of education with the licensing conditions must be controlled by the consumers of educational ser- vices and the state, and any non-compliance must quickly and inevitably lead to the deprivation of such an estab- lishment of the relevant license in the relevant specialty. Compliance with licensing conditions is the foundation for the formation of an internal system to ensure the quality of educational activities and the quality of higher education and should guarantee education a safe environment (namely in terms of sanitation, fire and environmental safety, no psychological danger, including bullying, etc.) from qualified teaching staff with appropriate educational and professional qualifications, availability of informa- tional support (powerful library fund, including digital, free internet access, advisory support for teachers, etc.), availability and security of infrastructure facilities that can provide, stimulate and maintain a healthy lifestyle in the younger generations. That is, the licensing conditions should include those requirements of the state that make the stay in the establishment of education safe, comfortable and one that promotes and stimulates the acquisition of quality higher education of a certain level and specialty. These requirements also need to be reviewed from time to time, as both universities and society evolve, and what is now considered to be the standard may not be the norm in a few years and requires a proper response from the state and establishments of higher education. At the same time, the improvement of licensing conditions should not lead to the need for establishments of higher education to obtain new perpetual licenses, but each establishment must constantly ensure its compliance with the licensing conditions (taking into account all changes).

Higher education is one of the main drivers of economic development. Due to its significant roles, many countries, including Cambodia, have invested in developing their higher education subsector. For over two decades since 1997, Cambodia has experienced a high increase in the number of higher education institutions (HEIs). Despite the rapid institutional expansion, there are many issues impeding the quality of Cambodian higher education. Drawing on secondary sources and the authors’ extensive experience and knowledge of the subsector, this article tries to investigate and explain some of the factors affecting the quality of higher education in Cambodia. The article focuses on several issues, including political interference, fragmented governance structures, ineffective ministerial policy implementation, fragmented institutional management, limited quality of teaching personnel, low academic salaries, business-oriented higher education, and issues concerning curriculum and academic programs. The article offers some suggestions to address these challenges. Key suggestions include (a) limiting political interference in appointing top university leaders, (b) setting up effective and independent higher education quality assurance bodies, (c) creating a term limit for top university leadership roles, (d) establishing a meritocracy-based policy for university leader appointments, (e) making academic salaries comparable to those of other similar professions, (f) developing policies on minimum tuition fees and student loan programs, and (g) introducing mechanisms to improve curricula and promote enrollments in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. The article concludes with suggestions for future research.

Academia is not the only sector or service that should be focused on and provided to students within higher education institutions. Student affairs services must also be adequately provided to recipients of higher education institution services, namely students. Student affairs services contribute significantly to the overall ranking of higher education institutions. The present study aims to evaluate and obtain information about the quality of student affairs services in higher education institutions in East Java, Indonesia. The present research conducts an evaluation using reference to the Regulation of the Minister of Administrative Reform and Bureaucratic Reform of the Republic of Indonesia Number 14 of 2017 Concerning Guidelines for the Preparation of a Public Satisfaction Survey Unit for Public Service Providers. The method used is a survey method, leveraging a questionnaire with a positivistic paradigm. The results of this research have shown that student services are ranked ‘good’, but an evaluation is required in terms of their implementation, because the services are not yet reaching a status of ‘excellent’. Another finding is that student affairs services are widely known to include scholarships, whereas services of interest include awarding talents, logic or reasoning competence. Moving forward, it is hoped that student affairs services will become more efficient in terms of bureaucracy in order to achieve the effectiveness of all parties involved.

This article examines the current trends and challenges in developing higher education in Cambodia, offering insights for enhancing its quality. While the Cambodian higher education system has made noticeable developments in the last few decades, it still faces significant obstacles, including inadequate facilities, unequal educational standards, and limited access for marginalized groups. The article highlights the increasing importance of digitalization, science, technology, engineering, mathematics education, and technical training, which demand qualified educators and innovative teaching methods. It emphasizes the need for institutional autonomy, improved faculty qualifications, and outcome-based learning approaches. Furthermore, the article advocates for integrating digital technologies and robust quality assurance mechanisms to enhance transparency and accountability in higher education, thereby fostering a more effective and equitable educational environment. The article is a valuable resource for policymakers and educators aiming to foster a more effective educational landscape in Cambodia by identifying prevailing challenges and useful suggestions.

ПРОФЕСІОНАЛІЗМ ВИКЛАДАЧІВ ВВНЗ ЯК СКЛАДОВА ВНУТРІШНЬОЇ СИСТЕМИ ГАРАНТУВАННЯ ЯКОСТІ ВИЩОЇ ВІЙСЬКОВІЙ ОСВІТИ

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.

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.

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.