Association of South-East Asian Nations. Two out of 3 Cambodians are
under 25 years of age, and more than 30 percent of the country's 14
million people are between the ages of 10 and 24 years. With such a
young and vibrant population and an enviable rate of economic growth
for the past 10 years, what about the future does not beckon brightly?
Last July, the United Nations Development Programme released results
of a survey of Cambodian youth. Ninety-five percent of young Khmers
are proud to be Cambodian nationals. They said the country is headed
in the right direction.
Reports abound about many of the young and vibrant population who fall
prey to alcoholism and the "Perfect High"; live in a culture in which
bribery is prevalent and has spread nationwide among pupils, students,
teachers, and officials from elementary school to university level, to
the Ministry of Education.
Doctorate degrees, and honorary degrees from non-accredited
institutions, are much prized credentials that improve one's job
prospects and social status. Even military officers and government
officials want doctorate titles. There are some 2,000 Ph.D. candidates
in the country.
However, the UNDP reports that the 300,000 Cambodians who enter the
domestic labor market yearly often don't have the skills required by
private-sector employers.
Concerning Cambodia's outstanding economic development, Cambodians and
foreign donors know that has been accomplished through violence and
through governmental actions that have created in essence a "country
for sale." Tens of thousands of villagers' homes have been burned down
or dismantled and demolished by authorities. Privately owned land has
been taken by force; tens of thousands of people have been evicted;
and many have been brutally beaten. The country's forests are fast
disappearing and national resources are being sold to foreign
investors while some 35 percent of the people live on 75 cents to one
dollar a day.
Dr. Gaffar Peang-Meth
October 14, 2011
More :
http://www.humanrights.asia/opinions/columns/AHRC-ETC-048-2011
