Seven directors and deputy directors from SCC-supported schools finished four days of leadership training on Wednesday, 04 February. The training, held at the government-run Siem Reap Provincial Teacher Training College (PTTC), covered topics related to administration, management of school-community relationships and observation and motivation of teachers and staff, all identified as top training needs during an assessment conducted jointly by SCC and the PTTC in September 2008.

Mr May Paeeng, the director of Svay Dungkum Primary School, thanked SCC profusely upon completion of the training,”It was fantastic to have the opportunity to receive training matching so closely to our needs” he explained. Paeeng was appointed the director of Svay Dungkum in mid-2008, but this was the first formal training relevant to his new role that he has received.

Just as Paeeng's situation demonstrates, there is a need for in-service training in Cambodia as many administrators and teachers have not completed a secondary education, have had a maximum of two years pre-service teacher training and are not fully equipped to carry out their responsibilities.

In fact, poor school leadership was recognised as one of the top causes of low teacher motivation and morale in a recent Valuing Teachers Report conducted by Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) and NGO Education Partnership (NEP): http://www.schools4cambodia.org/files/folders/schooldevelopment/entry282.aspx.

The Ministry of Education does provide in-service training, but limited financial resources have led them to adopt a “cascade training” strategy, where experts at the top train those below them until the information reaches school directors and teachers at the very bottom of the pyramid. As a result, teachers and directors rarely, if ever, get the opportunity to learn directly from the experts. For the SCC-supported leadership training, however, the seven administrators from SCC-supported schools studied with Mr. Leav Ora, the director of the PTTC.

Mr. Ora will assist with follow-up visits to each of the schools in mid-2009 to monitor the administrators' implementation of what they learned and identify further training needs.

It is hoped that the leadership training is the first step in helping the directors create a school environment conducive to learning and a school that caters to the education needs of the local community.

SCC invested a total of $226 on the four-day class.