The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport is on a recruitment drive to select 1,100 Cambodian graduates to equip them with pedagogy certificates, enabling them to teach at high school and tertiary levels.
It is open to unemployed Bachelor’s degree holders below the age of 35, Master’s degree holders under 40 as well as ministry staff, a May 21 announcement signed by Education Minster Hang Chuon Naron stated.
Accordingly, 1,000 candidates would undergo a “Bachelor plus one” programme and 100 will enroll into the “Bachelor plus two” programme, with one and two years’ teacher training, respectively.
“The aim of the Bachelor plus one programme is to ensure that candidates have a competent knowledge over the subject they choose to pursue. Bachelor plus two programme students will graduate with a certificate equivalent to a Master’s degree,” the announcement read.
The conditions include a mandatory receipt of the Covid-19 vaccine.
“Applicants must submit their forms to the Education Department in their province by July 9. A test will be conducted on August 15 in Phnom Penh. It can also be taken online depending on the Covid-19 situation.
“Once they are selected, training will start on October 11 at the National Institute of Education,” the announcement said.
Candidates must bring along their Covid-19 vaccination card on the test day but if they have not been vaccinated due to health problems, an official certificate issued by the Health Department must be produced or they risk being barred from the test.
Ministry spokesman Ros Soveacha said the initial recruitment for the programme did not take place last year due to Covid-19.
Separately, Cambodian Institute for Democracy president Pa Chanroeun said although making vaccination compulsory was a good decision to ensure the health and safety of every candidates, the ministry should reconsider the decision as doses are still limited and people might need time to get it.
“To make this condition fair, the ministry should allow sufficient time for candidates to get vaccinated,” he said, adding that candidates in the province might be most challenged by the requirement.
