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NEW GENERATION PEDAGOGICAL RESEARCH CENTER (NGPRC) AND MASTER DEGREE OF EDUCATION IN MENTORING

Date : 2019-11-22
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The New Generation Pedagogical Research Center (NGPRC) was held its official inauguration under the presidency of H.E. Dr. Hang Chuon Narun, Minister of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) on Thursday, 21 November 2019 locating in the National Institute of Education campus, Phnom Penh. The new NGPRC building construction was made during the meeting presided by H.E. Dr. Nath Bunroeun, Secretariat of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS). 

 

The participants of the NGPRC inauguration ceremony were the officials of the high levels of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, representatives from KAPE, ChildFund Cambodia, World Education Inc., JICA, KOICA, Asia Development Bank (ADB), World Bank (WB), UNICESF, VVOB, VSO, NEPand especially NGS’ school directors, NIE’s and NGRPR’s students including other national and international guests as well. NGPRC’s building plan was designed by Mr. Gordon Evans, the Engineer from United Kingdom (UK)​constructed by Green Tech Engineering Construction company (GTE&C), which was taken 169 days to successfully accomplish this NGPRC building with the total of expenditure USD121,704.00 funded by the Ministry of Economics and Finance through the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport including the key development NGS-partners such as ChildFund Cambodia, Franks Family Foundation of England (FFF) and Kampuchea Action to Promote Narrator Education (KAPE). The new NGPRC building was officially approved by Prakas No. 1799, AYK.BrK dated 20 November 2019 in order to be used for Master’s Degree of Education in Mentoring which has been opened since 16 September 2019​ by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, based on Prakas No. 1466 AYK.BrK dated 30 October 2019 and Prakas No. 54 AYK/SSR dated 17 October 2019 on establishing a Project Management Committee of Master’s Degree of Education in Mentoring.

 

“Today is another new stage of educational reforms to strengthen education system in Cambodia. For improving Cambodian education system on the purpose of newly contextualized economic development for Cambodia. In addition, I would like to share my deep gratitude to KAPE including ChildFund Cambodia and other development NGO-partners. Today, we have various development NGO-partners such as VSO, etc. and school directors from NGS in Phnom Penh, Kandal, Kampong Cham as well as KAPE’s staff who have worked hard to implement New Generation Schools. Additionally, we, today, officially open New Generation Pedagogical Research Center (NGPRC) to improve the teaching methods; and we’ve visited international schools such as Northbridge International School and ICT; and visited NGS-Preah Sisovath high school, observed on teaching methods there and  resulted that NGS Preah Sisovath high school is suitable for recent Cambodian context and level. Inconclusion, we can evaluate the 4-year period of NGS implementation that both KAPE and MoEYS can have successfully achieved a lot; and ChildFund Cambodia, also, has implemented NGS in Svay Rieng province.  Here is a place where consists of its long history which could additionally help to improve our educational sector through outreaching and new researches. Would we have to only train the training teachers and new teaching methods in the National Institute of Education (NIE) as well as other teacher training colleges. This is a place for us to train new teaching methods including theories and real practice,” said H.E. Hang Chuon Narun, Minister of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) during the inauguaration ceremony.

 

Mr. Kurt Bredenburg, KAPE's Senior Technical Adviser, saidTo teach effectively, we have some key factors such as “Content Knowledge”, number of teaching hours and detailed curriculum for each subject. What objectives does each module consist of? What do the students have to know? This makes us understand what we should learn more? Mostly, know how to teach well, we must teach. For example, if we want to swim well, we have to jump into the water with ready preparation. Therefore, when we jump into the water, we can swim. If we want to know how to swim well but we don’t jump into the water, how can we swim? We will know how to swim when we jump into the water.”

 

In order to facilitate the expansion of New Generation School reforms, MoEYS has been supporting KAPE to facilitate an expansion in NGS programming to the Teacher Education Sector where (young) teachers can be specially trained to work in an NGS setting. The establishment of the New Generation Pedagogical Research Center is a major event that raises the visibility of NGS Programming on the national stage in an area where investment is sorely needed. This refers to the need for long-term and systematic investment in the capacity building of young educational leaders who can have a long-lasting impact on educational reforms in Cambodia. Because the New Generation Pedagogical Research Center will be a permanent institution on the campus of the National Institute of Education. MoEYS and its partner Kampuchea Action to Promote Education who will be managing the Center on MoEYS’ behalf, therefore, believe that the modest investments requested here can have a major impact far beyond the Center itself.  The Ministry of Education, Youth, & Sport has originally established the NGPRC to enable the expansion of New Generation Schools, but the project has evolved to include other target institutions, such as the National Institute of Education or Teacher Education Colleges. 

 

The Center has already formulated a Vision to guide its overall mission. The Center’s Vision is to change the character of Cambodian schools so that there is a built-in mechanism animated by experienced school-based ‘Mentors’ who can help teachers grow both professionally and morally to make their schools exciting and engaging places to learn.

 

In addition, H.E. Dr. Hang Chuon Narun made a discussion session and gave recommendations to the NGPRC's students saying that, To teach effectively, we have some key factors such as “Content Knowledge”, number of teaching 

hours and detailed curriculum for each subject. What objectives does each module consist of? What do the students have to know? This makes us understand what we should learn more? Mostly, know how to teach well, we must teach. For example, if we want to swim well, we have to jump into the water with ready preparation. Therefore, when we jump into the water, we can swim. If we want to know how to swim well but we don’t jump into the water, how can we swim? We will know how to swim when we jump into the water.” 

 

KAPE recruited the staff for NGPRC in early May 2019 including 25 NGPRC students plus 5 reserved students, who were from 149 applicants, were made two stages (1. Knowledge-based on Psychology – Pedagogy and 2. Knowledge in English). These candidates have met the conditions of having Bachelor’s Degrees and experienced at least two years in teaching at high schools. 

 

This Master’s Degree of Education consists of 11 months and a half month which is equivalent to 45 credits. This class’s been started from 16 September 2019 to 31 August 2020, focusing on four major subjects as follows:

  • Stream 1: Professional Ethics & Mentoring and a three-month internship, equals 18 credits
  • Stream 2: English for Educational Research and Mini Thesis equals 12 credits.
  • Stream 3: ICT in Education equals 8 credits by using Observic software and Wolfram technology as teacher mentoring tools.
  • Stream 4: General Methodological Systems & Principles equals 7 credits.

 

The weekly time table is set from 8:00 AM to 4: 30 PM (Monday-Friday), a totally of 6 hours per day. NGPRC has hosted workshops and training courses by inviting professors based on topics, Soft Skills and Leadership Club, and E-Learning modules which are cooperated with Technology Institute of Cambodia, America Research Center of Wolfram, Fuji University, ASEAN teacher community for Research and Singaporean National Institute of Education. NGPRC has become one of the ASEAN teacher community members since October 2019 and is planning to host its International Conference on Teacher Mentoring in the mid-August 2020 that there will be key speakers from Canada, USA, Japan, Singapore, Philippines, etc. including the presentation of the 25 NGPRC students on the purpose of exchanging ideas and recommendations from the speakers.

 

KAPE has signed on the agreement with the National Institute of Education (NIE) on 19 July 2019 to implement the Master’s Degree of Education in Mentoring. Also, ratified by Prakas No. 54 AYK/SSR dated 17 October 2019 on establishing a Project Management Committee of Master’s Degree of Education in Mentoring. According to these fruitful results of strong cooperation on behalf of a local development organization partner, KAPE strongly hopes that strong efforts of all official levels of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport will undertake education reform in Cambodia with quality and pride in the coming future.

 

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