University of Queensland and UniQuest staff are involved in an international effort to assist a Cambodian agricultural college whose lecturers were almost exterminated during the Pol Pot regime.
With their assistance, in the past four years staff at the 700-student School of Agriculture at Prek Leap, near the nation's capital, Phnom Penh, have developed a new curriculum appropriate to the realities of Cambodian agriculture.
The first semester has been taught, the second is underway and the first graduates will complete their diplomas in 1999. Other major achievements include a new development plan, physical infrastructure, management systems and staff training.
'Given the difficulties of the task, we should be very proud of the progress,' Associate Professor Keith Woodford said.
Mr Woodford is project director of the University of Queensland's Prek Leap institutional strengthening program which is being managed by the International Projects Division of UniQuest Limited, the University's technology transfer company.
Prek Leap, one of two agricultural colleges in Cambodia, is currently the object of an international development effort, including by French, Danish, and Australian agencies and the University of Queensland.
In the absence of a single major project, the University's role is to create the educational framework in which the other organisations can provide technical inputs.
Mr Woodford said of 52 Prek Leap staff in 1975, only four survived through to 1979. None ever taught at the College afterwards.
'The current generation of teachers were ?educated' by the uneducated,' he said.
'The existing curriculum was a shambles, with teachers teaching whatever piece of theory they knew, without regard to relevance, and minimal practical work. Indeed, no one knew what was really being taught.
'Problem-solving skills, economics and farm management were unknown. The senior staff were adamant that things had to change, that the level of specialisation was too great, and that students had to be taught knowledge and skills relevant to Cambodia.
'The problem has been that first the teachers had to be taught not only the skills themselves, but a whole new way of doing their work.'
Mr Woodford, a reader in the Natural and Rural Systems Management Department at Gatton College, said the University became involved in the project in 1993. This followed a request from Australian Catholic Relief (ACR) to assist an ACR project funded by ACR, AusAID, and the United Nations Development Program.
The project included developing the foundations of agricultural extension in Cambodia and starting the process of institutional strengthening at Prek Leap.
Three Gatton College staff (Mr Woodford, Iean Russell and Cameron Kilminster) visited Prek Leap in 1994 and recommended there was no point in transferring a curriculum from Australia or elsewhere. The major challenge was to assist the professional capacity of Cambodian staff to develop, implement and maintain appropriate applied curricula relevant to Cambodia.
ACR subsequently requested that the University take over project management responsibilities for education management planning.
A number of University staff members have since been involved in the project, with two academics, Graeme Payne and Marj Payne, both currently seconded for full-time employment on the project. Keith Woodford, Iean Russell and UniQuest's General Manager, International Projects Nick Volk continue to return regularly to review progress and assist with the project.
Achievements have been impressive. A development plan has been mapped out, providing a policy framework and an implementation strategy. Policies developed provide ownership by the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Prek Leap's physical infrastructure has been upgraded, with Graeme Payne obtaining funding from the World Bank Rehabilitation Project for a range of equipment. In collaboration with the College director, Mr Payne identified needs and specifications, obtained tenderers and oversaw installation.
Equipment included telecommunications, farming, transportation, language laboratory, library materials, an electricity generation system (diesel plus solar) and a water supply system - items most University staff and students would take for granted in Australia.
Mr Woodford said a current $US3 million Chinese Government-funded building program included 20 classrooms, 10 laboratories, offices and staff accommodation.
He said the new curriculum had been built up by first assessing the required attributes of graduates.
'This has been undertaken in a participatory way with teachers required to spend time working with organisations and interviewing potential employers as to their perceived knowledge requirements,' he said.
'The aim has been to ensure Cambodian ownership of the curriculum.'
Mr Woodford said staff training was the project core. Although six major training workshops had been successful, there was no substitute for one-to-one mentoring of each teacher.
'We have good days and bad days. I have no doubt our greatest legacy will be a cohort of staff who can teach applied and relevant material with some level of competence, and are able to take students into the field, relating theory to practice,' he said.
'This is so much harder than lecturing from a textbook, but it is essential.'
Mr Volk said that of all the University's projects, this was one of which it should be extremely proud.
'This project will have an enormous impact on the people of Cambodia in providing trained people for the agricultural sector,' he said. 'Agriculture represents about 80 percent of the Cambodian GDP.'
FOOTNOTE: Graeme and Marj Payne have returned to Australia for a break during the period of disruption. They intend to return to Cambodia as soon as the political situation recovers.
Media: For further information, contact Mr Volk, telephone 07 3365 3827, email: n.volk@mailbox.uq.edu.au
