A culture under siege: post‐colonial higher education and teacher education in Cambodia from 1953 to 1979

This study, using a predominantly descriptive approach, examines the historical context and status of higher education and teacher education in three broad phases of social transformation: Period I, The Sihanouk Years, 1953-70, from independence to Sihanouk's overthrow; Period II, The Lon Nol Years, 1970-75, from military coup and subsequent civil war, through Vietnamese encroachment and aerial bombardment, to the siege of Phnom Penh by the KR; and Period III, The Khmer Rouge Years, 1975-79, the so-called 'Pol Pot era' of cultural disintegration during which virtually all forms of education were destroyed. The purpose of the study is to provide a coherent and comprehensive picture of post-colonial higher education and teacher education development in Cambodia until 1979. With this proposition in mind, we have tried where possible to present evidence which has been authenticated by more than one source or by personal experience; where corroborating evidence could not be found, only data which reflect an established trend (or are generally consistent with known trends or facts) have been presented