REMARKS BY RONG CHHUN, PRESIDENT OF THE CAMBODIAN INDEPENDENT TEACHERS ASSOCIATION

REMARKS BY RONG CHHUN, PRESIDENT OF THE CAMBODIAN INDEPENDENT TEACHERS ASSOCIATION, AT SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER EVENT

3/4/2011

In late February, the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights, in partnership with Phnom Penh-based CIVICUS, introduced Speak Truth To Power to Cambodia in a series of events that included a seminar on human rights education and a staging of Ariel Dorfman’s play, Speak Truth To Power, Voices From Beyond the Dark, which was adapted from Kerry Kennedy’s book Speak Truth To Power.

On Thursday, February 24, at Pannasastra University in Phnom Penh, the seminar on human rights education brought together a large audience to hear remarks by Kerry Kennedy, President of the RFK Center; H.E. OM Yentieng, Senior Minister, Cambodian Human Rights Committee; Dr. Kol Pheng, Senior Minister and Founding Chair of Pannasastra University; US Ambassador Carol Rodley; Dr. Kek Galabru, President of Cambodian human rights group LICADHO; Father John Visser, Director of Don Bosco Training Schools Cambodia; Professor Surya Subedi, UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights; and Theary Seng , President of CIVICUS, an alliance dedicated to promoting civil society.

The following remarks by honorary guest Mr. Rong Chhun, President of the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association (CITA), on the importance of human rights education in Cambodia and beyond, were distributed to the more than 600 people who attended the seminar.

Speeches of CITA President Rong Chhun at Seminar of the Robert F. Kennedy Center's seminar on 'Human Rights Education'

Phnom Penh, 23 February 2011

General Greetings

I would especially like to thank Civicus for inviting, me to be here this afternoon. Human rights in education is intrinsic to the very concept of ‘the right to education.' The effective realization of human rights in education can bring with it an awareness of, and ability to access, many other human rights. When we think of human rights in education we must, therefore, think of it as ‘a key that unlocks the doors’ to the fulfillment of human potential. Education without human rights, however, fails to create sustainable social, democratic and economic progress.

What is human rights education and why is it important?

Education has the potential to be ‘the silver bullet’ in terms of tackling many of the social, civic and economic issues we face. Yet, education is a double-edged sword; it can just as easily be wielded to indoctrinate and deny human rights as to reform and realize human rights. The only difference is the exclusion or inclusion of human rights education.

What is unique about the human rights approach to education is that it recognizes the interdependent relationship of education with so many other human rights.

-Without human rights in education, people are unaware of their social, economic, civic and political rights.

-Without human rights in education, people lack the knowledge of how to exercise their rights and to hold governments to account.

-Without human rights in education, people cannot fully participate in the democratic process.

We must think of human rights in education as a philosophical approach that seeks to fully integrate human rights into an entire education curriculum, not simply as new subject to be taught separately.

The right to education is clearly enshrined in our nation’s constitution, articles 65-68. These articles represent a solemn promise between the state and the people:

-That it will seek to provide quality education to all.

-That education will be free at primary and secondary levels.

-That the education provided will use modern methods and increase the economic capacity of the people.

These promises, however have remained largely unfulfilled, as the government's continued failure to invest in education illustrates. Thus the financing of education is over-reliant on NGOs and families, which provide more than 70 percent of total costs. This under-investment is reflected in poor school buildings, teaching materials and low wages for teachers, and undermines any attempt to embed the concept of human rights in education into the system. Thus the indirect denial of the human rights in education leads to the denial of many human rights that people never become aware of.

The Future of Human Rights Education

Currently, education in Cambodia tends to be focused on instructing children as to what they should think, rather than on how to think! Thus, the need of human rights in education is clear.

As educational reforms and improvements continue to be developed and implemented, it is vital that the dual approaches of ‘the right to education’ and human rights in education are placed at the center of the Cambodian education system. Not to do so would risk undermining the significant role that education can have in the future development of Cambodia.

Education is not simply about creating workers, it is about creating citizens and human rights education is not simply a lesson in schools or a theme for a day: it is a process to equip people with the tools they need to live their lives with dignity, and to recognize their human rights and their value as human beings.

Thank you!