Mr T from the Chumkriel Language School in Cambodia (Liz Hedge)20 February, 2012
ABC Radio, Western Plains
By Dugald Saunders (Jamie Cummins)
Listen to theaudio of the interview here.
The founding volunteer teacher at the Chumkriel Language School in Cambodia has travelled to Dubbo to visit the Rotary Club that made his school a possibility.
Opening the school in 2005, Sokonthy Nget (Mr. T) expected several people to turn up on the first day, but was surprised to see over 60 keen students show up.
Since then the school has grown to over 300 students, thanks to the efforts of donations from Australia, including visitors from the Dubbo Rotary Club.
Mark Horton from the club has been involved in helping the school for the past five years, and travels to Cambodia often to volunteer and make a change.
"They don't have an education system, they just pay teachers and if you go to classrooms they are just rooms" he says, "there are no resources in these schools."
Mark strongly feels that things need to change in Cambodia, and that's why he gives his time and effort to the cause.
"If you can speak English then you can trade, you know what your product is worth and you know you can get on the internet and you can gather information and you can seek information which doesn't exist within the country" he says, "we're working in one of the poorest regions of Cambodia and they can get instant access through English to any piece of information that's needed in the world."
"The school came about because of T's acknowledgement that English speaking and education is absolutely vital" says Jen Cowley, a fellow Rotary Club member and fellow volunteer.
Jen travelled to Cambodia in early 2011 to donate second hand bicycles to students in an effort to help them travel to and from the language school.
Mr. T believes that people who know English have a better chance of getting a good job because at university "all documents are in English."
Jen is also very conscious of what the school is trying to achieve, and its long term goals.
"There's the old saying 'Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day, teach him to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime' and the principle remains the same for this project" she says, "it's really community driven and engaging the community, it's not welfare."
ABC Radio, Western Plains
By Dugald Saunders (Jamie Cummins)
Listen to theaudio of the interview here.
The founding volunteer teacher at the Chumkriel Language School in Cambodia has travelled to Dubbo to visit the Rotary Club that made his school a possibility.
Opening the school in 2005, Sokonthy Nget (Mr. T) expected several people to turn up on the first day, but was surprised to see over 60 keen students show up.
Since then the school has grown to over 300 students, thanks to the efforts of donations from Australia, including visitors from the Dubbo Rotary Club.
Mark Horton from the club has been involved in helping the school for the past five years, and travels to Cambodia often to volunteer and make a change.
"They don't have an education system, they just pay teachers and if you go to classrooms they are just rooms" he says, "there are no resources in these schools."
Mark strongly feels that things need to change in Cambodia, and that's why he gives his time and effort to the cause.
"If you can speak English then you can trade, you know what your product is worth and you know you can get on the internet and you can gather information and you can seek information which doesn't exist within the country" he says, "we're working in one of the poorest regions of Cambodia and they can get instant access through English to any piece of information that's needed in the world."
"The school came about because of T's acknowledgement that English speaking and education is absolutely vital" says Jen Cowley, a fellow Rotary Club member and fellow volunteer.
Jen travelled to Cambodia in early 2011 to donate second hand bicycles to students in an effort to help them travel to and from the language school.
Mr. T believes that people who know English have a better chance of getting a good job because at university "all documents are in English."
Jen is also very conscious of what the school is trying to achieve, and its long term goals.
"There's the old saying 'Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day, teach him to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime' and the principle remains the same for this project" she says, "it's really community driven and engaging the community, it's not welfare."
1 comment:
Khmoch!
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