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Narratives of Academic Mobility for Disenfranchised Youth in the Kingdom of Cambodia
NCSEHE at Curtin UniversityApril 28, 2016
Alexander Jun, Ph.D.Professor of Higher EducationAzusa Pacific University
Samath (20)
I grew up in Mondulkiri where my family were farmers. There are times when we had many difficult times finding food so I remember days when all we ate were pickled chili peppers.
Samath (20)
We also survived by eating snakes, crabs, frogs, grasshoppers, and crickets or anything else we could catch.
Samath (20)
One day when I was around five years old my mom decided that she should move to the capitol, Phnom Penh, to look for a job so that she can prepare for a better future for my family.
Samath (20)
When I moved to the city my life changed in many ways. My mom had married again. Unfortunately her new husband was really abusive to me. Almost every day he got drunk and he would beat me.
Samath (20)
I met someone from Cambodia’s Future and started a new life in the orphanage.
Overview & Purpose
Establish a framework for college access and resilience for disenfranchised Khmer youth in Cambodia.
Understand how educational institutions collaborate with non governmental organizations to ensure academic success
Offer recommendations for future policy regarding education and mobility of high risk youth in Cambodia.
Kingdom of CambodiaBrief Overview
Bordered by Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos
The official ethnicity/language: Khmer 90% Khmer 5% Vietnamese 1% Chinese
Khmer Rouge (1975-1979)
Pol Pot Genocide of roughly 2 million people primarily elite and intelligentsia
Consequences
Educational infrastructure eradicated Low literacy rates Widespread poverty Government corruption Challenges with reliable public services Sex trafficking Disenfranchised youth (orphans)
Challenges to Educational System
Access and attendance
High drop-out Low student
enrollment Low rates of
college participation
Research Design
Ethnographic Approaches Grounded Theory Narrative Inquiry
“a collaboration between researcher and participants, over time, in a place or series of places, in social interaction…”
Data Collection
Individual Interviews 35 students (high school/college) 25 administrators (teachers, counselors)
Participant Observations Document Analysis Prolonged Engagement
Over three years of participant observations
CollaborationOrganizational Structure
FeederSchools
College Scholarshi
p
House of
Strength
House of
PeaceLocal Admin
Agape Int’l
Academy
Cambodia’s
Future
State-side Headquarters
Cambodia’s Future
House of Strength House of Peace Guardia Family Regimented Daily Chores ESL and English Days Homeschool Agape Int’l Academy
Findings
Academic Rigor High Expectations (College Graduation) Current Status (35 students)
10 Cambodia’s Future students have graduated college (U.S., Thailand, India)
15 enrolled in college 5 currently enrolled in high school 5 students…
10 graduates have returned to Cambodia
High Expectations
They wanted us children to compete academically. Mr. Guardia pushed us hard. And he taught us that anything is possible.
-Soka
High Expectations
Rules and expectations, such as study-before-play, were widely understood amongst the kids.
-Soka
Agape International Academy
Pre-K–12 one class per grade465 full time student enrollment
123 students hold Cambodian citizenship
23 nationalities represented$3,000 USD annual tuition$145,000 USD revenue from
tuition
Agape International Academy
Approximately 50 students receive need-based aid (22 receive 100% aid)
Full Tuition for Cambodia’s Future Graduates (students must return to live in Cambodia)
“Catch Up” School Challenge: Heritage Language
and Culture
Cultural Integrity
So they forced us to speak English, but we still speak in Khmer to ourselves. But when we saw them coming, we stopped, pretend like nothing happened, like “Hey, what’s up?”
-Samath
Cultural Integrity
It was tough at first. Like we were not that happy at all, like “Hey, we can’t speak Khmer? That’s our language!”
-Soka
IMPLICATIONS
Addressing Financial Realities Fully funded tuition, housing, travel.
Community Sense of family among administration, staff,
teachers, and students
Shared Vision Special commitment from all
Implications for Policy
Recognize Organizational Saga Legacy of founding principles
Maintain Cultural Integrity Focus on Systemic Change
Reciprocity (Orphan Care)
Narratives of Academic Mobility for Disenfranchised Youth in the Kingdom of Cambodia
DISCUSSION
Alexander Jun, Ph.D.Professor of Higher EducationAzusa Pacific Universityajun@apu.edu
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