Phnom Penh (FN), Mar. 20 – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet rejected a proposal from several ministries to upgrade their training schools into public institutions that charge tuition fees to generate state revenue. He underlined that instead of commercialising these schools, the focus should remain on training government officials with specialised skills.

The premier spoke on Thursday (Mar. 20) during the closing ceremony of 2024 Ministry of Civil Service annual meeting at Premier Centre Sen Sok in Phnom Penh.

Samdech Thipadei underscored, “In the past, some ministries and institutions have made this request, but I have refused. They wanted to upgrade their schools into public institutions that charge tuition fees. I will immediately assess whether there is a real need for this or not.”

Samdech Thipadei added the primary role of training schools within ministries and institutions is to train government officials. He stated that there is no need for these schools to compete with private institutions that already offer job-related skill training. Instead, they should focus on organising short-term courses, specialised training programs, and intermediate courses lasting up to one year to enhance the skills of officials.

In this regard, Prime Minister Hun Manet underlined that for example, in the Ministry of Information, the private sector already provides long-term training in media and communication. Therefore, the ministry should only establish short-term training programs for skill development rather than offering full-scale academic programs.

On the occasion, the premier also noted that he recently instructed the ministry to revise its plan after it proposed establishing a public institution offering a four-year university-style program. He rejected the idea, stressing that the focus should be on equipping officials with practical, job-specific skills rather than expanding into long-term academic courses.
=FRESH NEWS