Nine ambitious Cambodian women have graduated with a Master’s Degree in Education, thanks to the support of the Rotary Club of Box Hill Burwood and SeeBeyondBorders.
In early 2023, the Rotary Club of Box Hill Burwood, Vic, commenced the Educational Changemaker Program, a significant two-year project aimed at advancing women’s educational leadership in Cambodia.
This exciting project was developed in partnership with SeeBeyondBorders Australia (SBBA), an Australian charity accredited by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and compliant with the Australian Council for International Development.
SBBA has been implementing education programs in Cambodia since 2009 through its branch office SeeBeyondBorders Cambodia (SBBC). SBBA is responsible for the management of its operations in Australia and maintains oversight of activities undertaken in Cambodia.
PICTURED (above and below): To build comprehension of effective teaching practices, Changemakers participated in 10 workshops focused on early grade maths and literacy curriculum concepts.
Despite education reforms since the 1980s, poor quality education continues to hamper children’s learning in Cambodian schools, with less than three per cent of 15-year-old children reaching baseline levels of learning in maths, science and literacy, and the mean years of schooling at just five years.
The COVID pandemic left children even further behind after schools were closed for 18 months and basic infrastructure for distance learning was not in place.
The Educational Changemaker Program was borne out of the recognition that to achieve any sustainable change in Cambodian education, focus must be given to the structure of the system, rather than concentrating solely on school-level interventions.
The program was developed as an innovative approach to encouraging ambitious young women to enter the education sector and advocate for positive change for future generations of children.
In Cambodia, men hold the majority of leadership and decision-making positions at all levels of society. For example, 72 per cent of government ministers are male, and at the provincial educational level, 91 per cent of directors in the Provincial Education Departments are male.
At the community level, in the schools where SeeBeyondBorders delivers its quality education program, 77 per cent of school principals are male, while women make up 74 per cent of the school teaching workforce.
A lack of female role models in educational leadership poses a significant barrier to aspiring women leaders.
The Educational Changemaker Program has been designed to help tackle this challenge alongside determined Cambodian women who want to take the lead in improving the education system so that future generations can benefit.
The program supported nine Cambodian women to complete an intensive two-year training program, designed to equip them with the high-level skills and knowledge needed in primary schools and educational leadership roles.
The Rotary Club of Box Hill Burwood, with the assistance of a district grant, supported five out of the nine women leaders in partnership with Kingswood College Interact Club, Presbyterian Ladies College Interact Club and the Rotary Club of Springvale City.
The program took place in Ek Phnom District, Battambang Province, in northwest Cambodia. This district is in a rural area, with many households surviving on a combination of subsistence farming and remissions sent from family members who migrate to Thailand for work.
SeeBeyondBorders has worked in this district for more than 10 years. The teachers and communities trust their approach because they have seen how effectively children in their communities are learning.
In December 2024, all nine Changemakers graduated, having successfully completed a master’s degree in education. Remarkably, within just one month of finishing the program, eight of the Changemakers had already secured educational leadership roles in NGOs and government sectors.
“The program offers opportunities to learn early-grade literacy and maths teaching, work with supervising teachers, meet successful women in management positions, gain higher education, and discuss leadership topics in the Cambodian context,” said Changemaker graduate Yarn Somphors.
“For most of us, holding a master’s degree is very impactful because we are the first generation to graduate from university, since most of our parents do not get the chance to study.
“Despite challenges and obstacles, the program has shaped me into a person with patience, confidence, leadership skills and competence, supporting my new career as a project manager in the education sector.”
MAIN PICTURE: In December 2024, nine Cambodian women graduated from the Rotary Club of Box Hill Burwood’s Educational Changemaker Program, having successfully completed a master’s degree in education.