Internship at the Cambodian Development Research Institution (Mami Fujiwara)

From September 2022 to February 2023, I had the opportunity to do an internship at the Education Sector of the Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI) under Dr. Phal Chea (Senior Research Fellow), an Ogawa Zemi alumnus. During the internship, there were three main activities: 1) assisting in the preparation of a report about Cambodia’s higher education policy and mid-term planning, 2) reviewing a working paper on faculty involvement in higher education in Cambodia, and 3) participating in group study and other events.

The first activity was to assist in the preparation of a report about Cambodia’s higher education policy and mid to long-term educational planning, and its implementation. In order to summarize the policy, a comparison of higher education policies in neighboring countries, including Malaysia and Thailand. By comparing higher education in the Asian region, I was able to gain a new understanding of how Cambodia has worked to improve its centralized education system and the strengths and challenges of Cambodia’s education system.

The second activity was to conduct a review of a working paper on faculty involvement in higher education in Cambodia to be published by CDRI. In the beginning, I deepened my understanding of faculty involvement and then verified the content of the paper. Through this experience, I learned about research approaches and sampling methods for qualitative research, which I had not been exposed to before.

Finally, I participated in regular group studies and workshops to learn about overall trends in education in Cambodia and the involvement of teachers in middle and higher education, which has been the focus of much attention in recent years. Through regular discussions with Dr. Phal and staff members of CDRI, I was able to get in touch with their awareness and knowledge of the issues.

Last but not least, through this internship, I learned analytical methods related to higher education. Through discussions with the staff members, I also learned that Cambodian higher education is closely related to the academic performance of individuals and the qualifications of teachers, which helped me to broaden my knowledge of my research topic. In examining the content of the paper, I was not only trained to always read, think, and comment logically to ensure consistency in the content but also to learn new perspectives on higher education. This was an opportunity for me to learn the importance of approaching research from multiple perspectives.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Phal Chea and the CDRI staff for graciously accepting my internship in Cambodia, and Professor Keiichi Ogawa, and all those who helped me by providing such a valuable opportunity.

Authored by Mami Fujiwara (Doctoral student)