ASIA/CAMBODIA - First Catholic secondary school opened in Cambodia

Takeo (Agenzia Fides) – The new St. Paul Higher Learning Institute was recently inaugurated in Takeo, 70 km south of Phnom Penh, to train young people in agricultural sciences and informatics. This is the first institute of higher education opened and managed completely by the Catholic Church in Cambodia. As the local church tells Fides, the solemn inauguration ceremony was attended by senior authorities of the Cambodian Government, including the Vice-Prime Minister, representatives from the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Agriculture, and the Apostolic Nuncio in Cambodia, Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio.
The institute was founded and built by the Catholic Church in Cambodia, thanks to the efforts of Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler MEP, new Coadjutor Bishop of Phnom Pen, with the specific aim to promote growth and social advancement of rural youth, who do not have the financial ability to relocate to study in the capital Phnom Penh.
The Apostolic Nuncio expressed great appreciation for the work accomplished, thanking the members of the local Church and the Cambodian authorities for their cooperation. The Higher Learning Institute will offer training in agronomy and information technology, acting in partnership with the Royal University of Agriculture in Phnom Penh and the Ngee An Technological Institute of Singapore, as well as other specialized institutions.
The school accepts 190 students currently, has 24 classrooms, a large library, and a computer room equipped with 100 personal computers and wireless Internet.
"St. Paul Higher Learning Institute - a source of the local church told Fides - will offer young people a place of education, from the intellectual, human and spiritual standpoint."
Within the Institute, there is also a small chapel, a place of meditation, prayer, and encounter with God. The chapel was consecrated and inaugurated with a Mass presided by Archbishop Pennacchio.
The Cambodian Ministry of Education thanked the Church for her efforts in training the younger generations.
Educational institutions and vocational schools are instruments through which the Catholic community in Cambodia contributes effectively to social growth and cultural development of young Cambodians, making their contribution to building a just, open, and free society characterized by respect for the dignity of the person and fundamental human rights. This is the vision that inspires commitment to education and training of various religious congregations in Cambodia. That commitment, which is expressed in the creation of new institutions across the country distinguished by expertise in education, is appreciated by the population (a largely Buddhist majority), which is now turning to Catholic schools with a greater frequency. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 13/3/2010)