A Change of Guard

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Tuesday 11 August 2009

Khmer language to be taught in Thai schools across Surin province

Mr. Chey Mongkol teaching Khmer Surin children the Khmer language in his private school.

Source: Radio Free Asia
Reported in English by Khmerization

Surin provincial education department in Thailand has agreed to allow Khmer language to be taught in Thai schools in the province.

Mr. Chey Mongkol (Chaimongkol Chalermsukjitsri), president of the Cultural and Language Association of Surin who is a Khmer native of Surin, told RFA that the Thai education authority had given authority to teach Khmer language in Thai schools in response to a written request from his association.

He said on 5th August the premission was officially granted and a joint conference participated by 30-40 schools from across Surin was organised.

Mr. Chey Mongkol said: "We have talked to each other very nicely. I went to talk to the director of the provincial education department about teaching Khmer language (in Thai schools). We have talked to each other very nicely that we live in the same country, we should not talk about using the laws against each other. We should find a common ground. We should not conduct ourselves to let other see that Khmer cannot talk to each other nicely. They agreed and after they had a meeting they said OK. So I ask them, what do I have to do? I want to ask all the teachers to invite all the school principals to the meeting and ask them which schools want to include Khmer language in their teaching programs. Someone told me through telephone that there are many schools, about 30 to 40 schools."

According to the plans, Khmer language will be taught two hours a week, from primary schools right through to the final year of secondary schools and will be trialed in September in Svay district first.

But right now there is a problem finding the Khmer language teachers. Mr. Chey Mongkol suggested that his students, who were taught at his private Khmer school, can be hired because they are proficient in the Khmer language and they live locally.

He said: "For teachers, it is better to take our students, because all the teachers from the schools are already tight up because they have full loads of works. If they take our students (as teachers), it is the best way to attract more students to enrol (in the Khmer language class). Secondly, they live locally so they will not go anywhere. If we take teachers from far away areas, they can only teach for a short time and they will return back to their hometowns."
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Related articles:
1. Khmer Surin: Will they survive the language and cultural genocide?
2. A view from a Khmer Surin.

Contacts Mr. Chey Mongkol:

Chaimongkol Chalermsukjitsri
Human Rights in Indigenous Language Education Program
P.O.Box 27. Surin City, Thailand.
http://www.khmersurin.org
Email: khmersurin@gmail.com
Phone 0875815514, 0830860076

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great..now teach Khmer Surin the history between Siem and Khmer and how Surin was seperated from Khmer.

Anonymous said...

Chey Mongkol has done a great job for Khmer Surin children. i agree, the next step is to teach Khmer Surin children real Khmer history, including the lost of Khmer lands such as Surin to Thailand.