Singapore University of Social Sciences

The main objective of OEL314 is to provide students with the conceptual tools and learning experiences to develop a deeper understanding of Cambodian healthcare practices vis-à-vis educational quality. This objective will be achieved through a combination of experiential learning, e-learning, classroom activities, and participation in an overseas trip to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.Having long been associated with poverty, war and genocide, Cambodia has emerged as one of Asia’s fastest growing economies with an average 7% growth in GDP over the last decade, and in 2016 graduated from one of the world’s Least Developed Countries to a Lower Income Country. Cambodia’s rapid rise in the ranks also engendered inequalities in several domains of life, including the standard of healthcare practices and access to quality education. Healthcare practices are so disparate between Cambodian communities that communicable diseases still plague inhabitants of rural areas while chronic illnesses have caught up with those in the cities.This course will introduce students to the relationships between the Cambodian healthcare infrastructure, actual healthcare practices, and educational provision. Through working with a local school start up by a Cambodian, the Coconut School Foundation and a public school in Bati, Takéo Province, students will learn about inequalities across gender, location and socioeconomic groups in the areas of healthcare and education. Common social issues faced by the country, like poverty and child labour, will serve as the backdrop for students to reflect critically on the relationships between healthcare practices and educational quality.