Cambodia – an amazing country full of surprises

Last month  we revealed the experiences of one of our photographer who spent a semester at Wroclaw University of Economics in Poland. This time, our aim is to introduce you a totally different country outside Europe, which is almost unknown to the majority of the European students. Thanks to Chansamnang So and Sathawattey Sadh,  the new foreign students at the University of Pannonia, you can get a picture about Cambodia and its education system.

The girls have just arrived at the beginning of the fall semester and their plans include  finishing their BA in tourism and catering in Veszprém. They already experienced the friendliness of the Hungarians in the way  local people express their love everywhere. They admitted that  the town itself is marvellous, but the weather can sometimes cause  problems for them. It is much colder here than it usually is in Cambodia but they hope they can get accustomed to it soon. Apart from that, they really like the atmosphere of the town with its wonderful architecture,  amazing view, the clean and fresh air along with  the rich cultural heritages that reminds them of the ancient times. They also wish to explore more places in Hungary and visit other cities and towns.

As for the education, they believe that Hungary has a good system with excellent study programs available for foreign students. They agreed  that our university welcomes students with warm hospitality and thanks to the Neptun system they have an easy access to the lectures and an understandable view on the study programs as well.

I was also intrigued about the education system in Cambodia as  it is somewhat different from ours. Their elementary schools have 6 levels while us Hungarians generally spend 8 years in elementary education. In each grade they study for 10 months similar to Hungary. Cambodian kids are enrolled in the elementary school at the age of 6, like here. However, while we can only start our carrier in the secondary education at the age of 14, they start secondary schools when they reach the age of 12. In each grade, they have Math, Khmer literature, History, Biology, Geography, Environment, English Language and Physics.

After entering the secondary school system, the situation is quite similar to ours as they also spend almost 5 years in the secondary education. The final exam is called state exam in Cambodia, and it is quite like our final exam, conducted for 2 and half days. The Ministry of Education is responsible for the preparation of the examination questionnaires, thus  it is centralized like in Hungary. Students should pass these exams in the schools that are assigned for them. The classification is based on a list, in which the surnames of the students are listed. By the way, the name list is in alphabetic order, which means they are mixed during the exams.

As for their higher education, they can start the university when they reach the age of 17, so one year earlier than in Hungary. Completing BA courses takes 4 years, MA takes 2 years, and a PhD can last from 2-3 years. In other to get a PhD certification, the students have to compose at least one book based on their experiences of studying, like in our universities.

As you may have noticed, studying abroad is very popular in Cambodia and most of the students are seeking scholarships to study abroad. They are very happy to be in Hungary and to study at  the University of Pannonia.

Let’s wish them a very good time in Hungary and in our university and hope they can discover our beautiful country by reaching  as many destinations as possible.

If Cambodia and its culture caught your attention after all, feel free to contact the girls and ask your questions.