Alumni & Coopération France Cambodge: A rich, solid and growing relationship

“This Embassy is proud to see Cambodian students educated in France making an admirable contribution to the Kingdom's economic, social and cultural development ”, said Mr Fabrice Étienne, Chargé d'affaires of the French Embassy in Cambodia, at the celebration of World Alumni Day 2024.

Mr Fabrice Étienne, Chargé d'affaires of the French Embassy in Cambodia. Photo supplied

Cooperation between France and Cambodia: a rich, solid and growing relationship

As the world's 6th most popular destination for foreign students, France is a magnet for excellence in higher education and research. In just one year, the President of the French Republic, Mr Emmanuel Macron, has held talks with His Majesty King Sihamoni and Prime Minister Samdech HUN Manet with a view to diversifying cooperation between the two countries.

Numerous areas of cooperation, including economic, cultural, educational and heritage issues, have been launched and will form the roadmap for cooperation between France and Cambodia in the years to come, but the richest area remains student mobility.

Indeed, by choosing to enrich their university career with French higher education, the alumni have acquired language skills, academic knowledge, an open mind and a unique experience offering job prospects and unique careers both in Cambodia and internationally.

“This is one of the key areas of our cooperation, with around a hundred Cambodians going to France every year”, says Mr Étienne.

Today, there are between 800 and 900 Cambodian students studying in France, and when they return to Cambodia, they take up jobs in companies, public administrations, NGOs, the private sector, etc.,’ says Pierre Vincent, Cooperation and Cultural Action Counsellor at the French Embassy in Cambodia and Director of the French Institute of Cambodia (IFC).

Pierre Vincent, Counsellor for Cooperation and Cultural Action at the French Embassy in Cambodia and Director of the French Institute in Cambodia. Photo supplied

He added: “Cooperation is already excellent, and I want to see it strengthened. It's a bilateral relationship with many visits and deadlines, including the Francophonie Summit in 2026, which will probably be held in Cambodia.”

Mr Fabrice Étienne added:

‘You too are now ambassadors for French higher education in Cambodia. You embody the success of cooperation between our two countries at a time when bilateral relations are particularly close.’

His Excellency Dr Hang Chuon Naron, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, also shared his views on this cooperation and on the Alumni event: ‘It’s an opportunity to reflect on what we achieved during our studies. Our former students have established themselves as accomplished individuals in almost every area of life and I’m proud of that. I can say that French universities are seen as second homes to our alumni and play a crucial role in their technical, professional and linguistic development’.

His Excellency Dr Hang Chuon Naron, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Education, Youth and Sport. Photo supplied

As it stands, cooperation between France and Cambodia is on the increase, as Théo Lenu, Academic Cooperation Officer at the French Embassy in Cambodia and head of Campus France Cambodia since September 2023, who is working under a contract of « Volontariat International in Administration (VIA) », points out: “In the future, I think it will be further strengthened, particularly with the visa announcements made this evening and the number of outsourced training courses in Cambodia. In my view, this is a lively cooperation that will develop in the future”.

Determination and inspiring stories: Student testimonials

The ceremony highlighted the attractiveness of the French higher education system, but above all, the diversity and richness of Cambodian student profiles.

After completing her bachelor's degree at the Institute of Foreign Languages at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, Paha THENG, 29, of Cambodian origin, returned to the Kingdom after two years of study in France.

Having been selected in 2020 to join a Masters programme at Sciences Po Paris in Communication, Media and Creative Industries, Paha THENG was able to pursue this study programme from 2021 to 2023, graduating in June 2023.

“In Cambodia, there's a lot of interest in French university standards. After obtaining my bachelor's degree, I always wanted to do my master's abroad and I wanted to study impact communication. And, based on my university experience, Science Po was the best school for my profile”, says Paha.

Since her return to France last July, she has been running a communications agency as well as working as a communications consultant for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

Paris was also Samnang's destination. Between his-her admiration for the French language and his determination, he took part in a five-month exchange programme as part of his archaeology degree (Erasmus+ programme between the Royal University of Fine Arts of Cambodia and Inalco in Paris). Starting his archaeology studies in Cambodia in 2015, he-she flew to France for five months in 2018 to study at Inalco and finish his-her licence in 2019.

“I hope to be able to return to France to do my second year of a Masters or my Doctorate”, he-she says.

So, at the age of 26 and with a double degree (both Khmer and French) in archaeology, Samnang is continuing his efforts to learn French, a language he speaks fluently after taking courses at the IFC, and to open doors for a new study opportunity in France.

Samnang (left) and Paha THENG (right)

Finally, from Battambang Province, Borivath TAN, 24, has been working as a teacher of agri-food at the Cambodian Institute of Technology since September 2023. Winner of the ceremony for the best video reflecting his studies in France, he shares his experience and his vision for the Kingdom.

After studying at the Cambodian Institute of Technology from 2016 to 2019, he flew to France on the Eiffel Excellence Scholarship to study engineering at the Institut Agro in Montpelier from 2019 to 2022.

Sensitive to the importation of products and their toxicity in the Kingdom, he hopes to use the skills and experience he acquired in France to implement them in Cambodia in the future.

Borivath TAN (right), winner of the best video. Photo supplied

“The goal is to help SMEs so that they can learn about the technologies to be implemented in their businesses and develop jobs for villagers. I'm also working on a project to reduce malnutrition in Cambodia in order to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2: eradicate hunger, ensure food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture)", he confides.

He adds:

“Today, as a teacher, I am much more mature. I want to support students in their academic and professional projects, especially if they also want to do an exchange programme in France.”

With a thirst for learning, he would like to return to France to complete his doctorate, keeping nutrition as the subject of his thesis, so that in the future he can help his country, Cambodia, with its various issues.

Graduating Cambodian students. Photo provided

Between nostalgia and achievement, this second edition succeeded in bringing together old and new Alumni. The ceremony was marked by exchanges and friendship, with the aim of promoting development in Cambodia, preserving a valuable link with alumni by building a network and reducing poverty through access to higher education.