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Thursday, November 18, 2010

7th CamTESOL Conference on English Language Teaching “English for Mobility”

Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 26-27 February 2011

Educational Site Visits


Site Visits are scheduled for the morning of Friday 25 February. Tours will commence promptly at 9:30 a.m. and finish after lunch (included) at 1:30 p.m. There will be a maximum number of participants on each tour. Pick up and drop off will be at the Himawari Hotel. Cost per tour is USD$30.

Participants may choose between the following organised tours -

  • Self access facilities (ELT focused)
  • Regional Teacher Training Centre (RTTC) Literacy programs
  • Public schools
  • Private language schools
  • Research institutes

The purpose of these tours is to provide an opportunity for international visitors to gain insights into the Cambodian educational context. For presenters at the conference this is an excellent opportunity, prior to presenting to a predominantly Cambodian audience, to gain first-hand impressions of local schools and the local learning environment. For first-time visitors to Cambodia, these tours will enhance your experience of the country and provide you with a better understanding of the educational context of the CamTESOL conference.

Tour # 1: Self Access Facilities

(SACs in English Language Centres)

Guided Individual Learning Centre - Australian Centre for Education (ACE)

ACE operates a Guided Individual Learning (GIL) Centre, based on principles established in a recent large-scale study of best practice in self-access in Australia. Features include a large range of e-learning materials and a systematised, Cambodian-focused materials production facility that feeds into a General English and Pre-Departure program for scholarship students proceeding overseas. For more information, please visit: http://www.cambodia.idp.com/ace/the_guided_individual_learning.aspx

Self Access Centre - Institute of Foreign Languages (IFL) / RUPP

IFL is part of the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) which is Cambodia’s oldest and most prestigious Government university. The IFL runs a TESOL teacher-training program to feed into the Government high school system throughout Cambodia. It also conducts a large English language teaching program.

Tour #2: Regional Teacher Training Centre – Takhmao (RTTC-Takhmao)

RTTC-Takhmao is one of six Regional Teacher Training Centres in Cambodia. It is located in Takhmao Town of Kandal Province, about 25 minutes from Phnom Penh. Its main role is to prepare future lower secondary school teachers in an assigned subject such as Khmer Literature, Mathematics, Sciences, English language and Pedagogy. Each year RTTC-Takhmao trains around 500 trainees from the provinces of Kandal, Kompong Chhnang and Kompong Speu Province.

Tour #3: Literacy Programs

(Two Local NGO-Organised Programs)

Cambodian Volunteers for Community Development (CVCD)

CVCD is a local not-for-profit organisation. It operates a non-formal Khmer literacy class at elementary level. The program targets children from the poorest families, based on household and family interview. The classes operate five days a week and students are taught Mathematics, Khmer reading and writing, Geography, History, Science, Environmental studies, Health, Hygiene and Social Morality. For more information, please visit: http://www.cvcd.org.kh

Pour un Sourire d'Enfant (PSE)

PSE is a non-profit organisation officially founded in 1996. It supports over 7,000 children from poor families around the country by providing general education from kindergarten through high school and vocational training skills. The latter includes hotel and hospitality training, cooking, childcare, gardening, beauty treatment and small business management. For more information, please visit: http://www.pse.asso.fr

Tour #4: Public Schools

(One Elementary and One High School)

Preah Norodom Elementary School

Preah Norodom Elementary School is typical of many public elementary schools in Cambodia although by Cambodian standards it is relatively well-resourced by virtue of it being in the capital city and also under direct supervision by the Phnom Penh Municipal Office of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. The school operates Grades 1 – 6.

Preah Sisowath High School

This high school is one of the better public high schools in Phnom Penh and is located right in the heart of the city north of Independence Monument. It was named after one of the greatest Khmer Kings who reigned between 1904 and 1927. Most of the buildings are French colonial style. Preah Sisowath operates both a junior high school and a senior high school.

Tour #5: Private Language Schools

(Two Local ELT Institutes)

BELTEI International Institute (BELTEI 9, Stung Meanchey)

BELTEI International Institute is one of the leading private institutes in Cambodia. BELTEI is an acronym representing six major subjects – Business, Economics, Law, Tourism, English, and Information Technology. It was founded in 2002. Its five main programs include Khmer General Education (Grades 1-12), ESL (Pre-school levels 1 to 12), Faculty of Foreign Languages (B.A., B.Ed and Associate of Arts in English Literature), Computer Training Courses, and International Test Preparation Courses (TOEFL, Password, ICDL). For more information please visit: www.beltei.edu.kh

Newton Thilay School (NTS)

Newton Thilay School was founded in 1996 under the stewardship of Mr. Chea Thilay. At present, NTS has 35 branches nationwide: 19 in Phnom Penh, 3 in Battambang Province, 6 in Banteay Meanchey Province, 2 in Preah Sihanouk Province, 1 in Koh Kong Province, 1 in Takeo Province, and 1 in Kampot Province. Newton Thilay School provides a wide range of training programs including General English, Kindergarten, Khmer General Education, English for Academic Purposes, English for Business and Computer Programs.

Tour #6: Research Institutes

(Two Independent NGOs)

Cambodian Development Resource Institute (CDRI)

CDRI is an independent Cambodian development policy research institute whose mission is to contribute to Cambodia’s sustainable development and the well-being of its people by generating high quality policy related development research, knowledge dissemination and capacity building. For more information, please visit: http://www.cdri.org.kh/

The Documentation Centre of Cambodia (DC-Cam)

DC-Cam is a documentation centre for the myriad of crimes and atrocities of the Khmer Rouge era. It was founded in 1995 as a field office of Yale's Cambodian Genocide Program (CGP) by Mr Youk Chhang, a survivor the Khmer Rouge’s “killing fields.” DC-Cam became an independent and non-profit research institute in 1997. DC-Cam has been playing crucial role in providing documentation support to the current Khmer Rouge Tribunal. For more information, please visit: http://www.dccam.org/Abouts/index.htm

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