Education in Cambodia before Angkor Empire: Prehistory, Nokor Phnom, and Chenla Periods

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58421/gehu.v2i4.153

Authors

  • Pisith Chin National University of Cheasim Kamchaymear, Kampong Cham Campus
  • Sereyrath Em Khemarak University, Phnom Penh https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6803-195X
  • Sophea Phann Head of ASEAN Office, Department of Information and ASEAN Affairs, MoEYS, Phnom Penh
  • Sacha Seng National Institute of Education, Phnom Penh

Keywords:

Nokor Phnom, Chenla, Prehistory, Hinduism, Buddhism

Abstract

Education is a fundamental human right that should be accessible to everyone, regardless of nationality or historical period. Education gives individuals the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed and contribute to society. It is essential for personal growth, development, and economic and social progress. Education promotes critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity, crucial for innovation and progress. Besides, education is a vital component of human development and progress, and all individuals must have access to quality education regardless of their nationality or period in history. The importance of education is not an exception for Cambodia. Thus, this article reviews the aspects of education in the history of Cambodia before the Angkor period using different documents for consolations. As a result, some fascinating findings proved that people during the prehistoric period learned by watching and doing, and people mostly learned from religions during the Nokor Phnom and Chela periods of Cambodia. The article then concludes the mentioned aspects in a few sentences and the important recommendations.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Pisith Chin, National University of Cheasim Kamchaymear, Kampong Cham Campus

Pisith Chin is the Executive Director of the National University of Cheasim Kamchaymear, Kampong Cham Campus. Currently, he is doing his Ph.D. in Educational Management at the National University of Cheasim Kamchaymear. 

Sereyrath Em, Khemarak University, Phnom Penh

Sereyrath Em is a Cambodian government teacher of English with a higher education degree working at Kith Meng Brasat high school, a visiting lecturer at the National University of Cheasim Kamchaymear (NUCK), and an Associate Managing Editor of the Cambodian Journal of Educational Research (CJER). Prior to this, he was a secondary school teacher of English and Khmer languages working at Darakum lower-secondary school between 2012 and 2015. In 2017, he graduated with a Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MA in TESOL) from Human Resource University (HRU), and in 2019, he graduated with a Master of Education in Educational Administration from the National Institute of Education (NIE) with the support from Cambodia International Education Support Foundation (CIESF). Then he was also trained at Regional Language Center (RELC) two times between early 2020 and early 2021 concerning teaching listening, speaking, reading, and writing. His research interests include English language teaching, teaching methodology, educational management, educational leadership, learning and teaching motivation, and learning and teaching challenges. Currently, he is a Ph.D. candidate in Educational Administration at Khemarak University, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Email: sereyrathem.edu@gmail.com

Sophea Phann, Head of ASEAN Office, Department of Information and ASEAN Affairs, MoEYS, Phnom Penh

Sophea Phann is currently the Head of the ASEAN Office and an English curriculum developer at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS), Cambodia. He has served as a Governing Board Member of SSEAYP International Cambodia since 2017. He earned a Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from the Institute of Foreign Languages (IFL), Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) in 2009, and he graduated with a Diploma in Applied Linguistics and English Curriculum Development from SEAMEO Regional Language Center, Singapore in 2013.
Email: phannsophea.moeys.cam@gmail.com

References

J. Scull, M. Phillips, U. Sharma, and K. Garnier, “Innovations in teacher education at the time of COVID19: an Australian perspective,” J. Educ. Teach., vol. 46, no. 4, pp. 497–506, Aug. 2020, doi: 10.1080/02607476.2020.1802701.

J. P. Doh, “Can Leadership Be Taught? Perspectives From Management Educators,” Acad. Manag. Learn. Educ., vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 54–67, Mar. 2003, doi: 10.5465/amle.2003.9324025.

J. Anyon, “Social Class and School Knowledge,” Curric. Inq., vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 3–42, Mar. 1981, doi: 10.1080/03626784.1981.11075236.

M.-H. Park, J. G. Riley, and J. M. Branch, “Developing self-awareness using mindfulness meditation with preservice teachers: reflections on practice,” J. Early Child. Teach. Educ., vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 183–196, Apr. 2020, doi: 10.1080/10901027.2019.1695692.

S. Kemmis, A Practice Sensibility. Singapore: Springer Singapore, 2019.

M. Balconi, L. Angioletti, and D. Crivelli, “Neuro-Empowerment of Executive Functions in the Workplace: The Reason Why,” Front. Psychol., vol. 11, Jul. 2020, doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01519.

G. Fischer, J. Lundin, and J. O. Lindberg, “Rethinking and reinventing learning, education and collaboration in the digital age—from creating technologies to transforming cultures,” Int. J. Inf. Learn. Technol., vol. 37, no. 5, pp. 241–252, Sep. 2020, doi: 10.1108/IJILT-04-2020-0051.

C. A. Taylor and G. Ivinson, Material feminisms: New directions for education. Oxon: Routledge, 2013.

D. Kauffman, S. M. Johnson, S. M. Kardos, E. Liu, and H. G. Peske, “‘Lost at Sea’: New Teachers’ Experiences with Curriculum and Assessment,” Teach. Coll. Rec. Voice Scholarsh. Educ., vol. 104, no. 2, pp. 273–300, Feb. 2002, doi: 10.1177/016146810210400202.

B. H. See, R. Morris, S. Gorard, D. Kokotsaki, and S. Abdi, “Teacher Recruitment and Retention: A Critical Review of International Evidence of Most Promising Interventions,” Educ. Sci., vol. 10, no. 10, p. 262, Sep. 2020, doi: 10.3390/educsci10100262.

L. Lundahl, I. E. Arreman, U. Lundström, and L. Rönnberg, “Setting Things Right? Swedish Upper Secondary School Reform in a 40-Year Perspective,” Eur. J. Educ., vol. 45, no. 1, pp. 46–59, Mar. 2010, doi: 10.1111/j.1465-3435.2009.01414.x.

F. Ferdousi, P. Mahmud, and K. T. Mahmud, “Fostering Youth Entrepreneurship Development through Social Business—Evidence from Bangladesh,” Sustainability, vol. 15, no. 1, p. 756, Dec. 2022, doi: 10.3390/su15010756.

F. Walsh, “Loss and Resilience in the Time of COVID‐19: Meaning Making, Hope, and Transcendence,” Fam. Process, vol. 59, no. 3, pp. 898–911, Sep. 2020, doi: 10.1111/famp.12588.

S. Chan, S. Maneewan, and R. Koul, “An examination of the relationship between the perceived instructional behaviours of teacher educators and pre-service teachers’ learning motivation and teaching self-efficacy,” Educ. Rev., vol. 75, no. 2, pp. 264–286, Feb. 2023, doi: 10.1080/00131911.2021.1916440.

M. C. Thompson, “The Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic on the Socioeconomic Future of Young Saudis,” Asian J. Middle East. Islam. Stud., vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 358–382, Jul. 2020, doi: 10.1080/25765949.2020.1808375.

S. Chan, S. Maneewan, and R. Koul, “Teacher educators’ teaching styles: relation with learning motivation and academic engagement in pre-service teachers,” Teach. High. Educ., pp. 1–22, Jun. 2021, doi: 10.1080/13562517.2021.1947226.

B. Williamson, R. Eynon, and J. Potter, “Pandemic politics, pedagogies and practices: digital technologies and distance education during the coronavirus emergency,” Learn. Media Technol., vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 107–114, Apr. 2020, doi: 10.1080/17439884.2020.1761641.

S. Chan, S. Maneewan, and R. Koul, “Cooperative learning in teacher education: its effects on EFL pre-service teachers’ content knowledge and teaching self-efficacy,” J. Educ. Teach., vol. 47, no. 5, pp. 654–667, Oct. 2021, doi: 10.1080/02607476.2021.1931060.

K. Heng, K. Sol, and S. Em, “COVID-19 and Digital Transformation of Cambodian Higher Education,” 2022, pp. 307–327.

S. Donitsa-Schmidt and R. Ramot, “Opportunities and challenges: teacher education in Israel in the Covid-19 pandemic,” J. Educ. Teach., vol. 46, no. 4, pp. 586–595, Aug. 2020, doi: 10.1080/02607476.2020.1799708.

A. Akkari, “Bilingual Education: Beyond Linguistic Instrumentalization,” Biling. Res. J., vol. 22, no. 2–4, pp. 103–125, Apr. 1998, doi: 10.1080/15235882.1998.10162718.

S. Chan, S. Maneewan, and R. Koul, “Cooperative learning in teacher education: a means to foster learning motivation and academic engagement among EFL pre-service teachers,” Eur. J. Teach. Educ., pp. 1–18, Aug. 2022, doi: 10.1080/02619768.2022.2117026.

M. Ong, J. M. Smith, and L. T. Ko, “Counterspaces for women of color in STEM higher education: Marginal and central spaces for persistence and success,” J. Res. Sci. Teach., vol. 55, no. 2, pp. 206–245, Feb. 2018, doi: 10.1002/tea.21417.

A. Benavot, C. O. Hoppers, A. S. Lockhart, and H. Hinzen, “Reimagining adult education and lifelong learning for all: Historical and critical perspectives,” Int. Rev. Educ., vol. 68, no. 2, pp. 165–194, Apr. 2022, doi: 10.1007/s11159-022-09955-9.

H. Chan and A. A. A. Latif, “Historical Perspectives of Business Education at the Higher Learning Institutions and Skills Development for Industry in Cambodia,” Int. J. Learn. Dev., vol. 3, no. 1, p. 148, 2013, doi: 10.5296/ijld.v3i1.3074.

S. Rany, A. N. M. Zain, and H. Jamil, “Cambodia’s Higher Education Development in Historical Perspectives (1863-2012),” Int. J. Learn. Dev., vol. 2, no. 2, p. 224, 2012, doi: 10.5296/ijld.v2i2.1670.

MoEYS, Grade 10, social studies for Cambodian students (Khmer version). Phnom Penh: Publishing and Distribution House, 2020.

S. Em, “Education in Cambodia during the Prehistoric Period: The Revolution of Nature and Imitation | Cambodianess,” 2023. https://cambodianess.com/article/education-in-cambodia-during-the-prehistoric-period-the-revolution-of-nature-and-imitation (accessed Jul. 31, 2023).

S. Em, S. Khan, and N. Nun, “Education System in Cambodia: A Brief Review from the Prehistoric Period to the Present, and an Education Strategic Plan for the Future,” FIRE Forum Int. Res. Educ., vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 141–164, Feb. 2023, doi: 10.32865/fire202273320.

L. P. Briggs, “The Ancient Khmer Empire,” Trans. Am. Philos. Soc., vol. 41, no. 1, p. 1, 1951, doi: 10.2307/1005620.

S. Em, “Education in Cambodia in the Funan Period,” 2023. https://cambodianess.com/article/education-in-cambodia-in-the-funan-period (accessed Jul. 31, 2023).

J. S. Duong, “The influence of Theravada Buddhism on spiritual and social reforms in Cambodia,” California Institute of Integral Studies, 2009.

J. K. Reimer, “Local negotiation of globalised educational discourses : the case of Child Friendly Schools in rural Cambodia,” University of British Columbia, 2012.

V. S. Cheam, “Buddhism and education in Cambodia–Bsd’s Buddhist training to enhance peace and prosperity,” J. Buddh. Educ. Res., vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 28–33, 2015.

Downloads

Published

2023-09-01

How to Cite

[1]
P. Chin, S. Em, S. Phann, and Sacha Seng, “Education in Cambodia before Angkor Empire: Prehistory, Nokor Phnom, and Chenla Periods”, J.Gen.Educ.Humanit., vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 323–336, Sep. 2023.

Issue

Section

Articles