Rota chairperson visits Cambodia school project

Reach Out To Asia (Rota) Chairperson HE Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani recently visited the Hun Sen - Rota school in Kandal province of Cambodia to assess one of the largest and most important educational projects of the organisation.  HE Sheikha Al-Mayassa was greeted by officials from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, accompanied by representatives from the local authorities of Kandal as well as school officials, students and teachers. She toured the school’s buildings, computer laboratory, students’ dormitory, teachers’ housing, meeting room and other facilities. The school’s acting director briefed her on the modernisation and development of the educational process in accordance with Rota’s vision and strategy. HE Sheikha Al-Mayassa also met the school’s students, who expressed their gratitude by singing folk songs they learned during meetings with Rota volunteers who visited the school in the previous two years. She praised the efforts of the students and teachers in taking advantage of all the opportunities provided by the school.She planted a tree in the school’s garden to emphasise the importance of spreading an environmental culture in the community. She concluded her tour by watching a folk dance performance by students before heading to the house of a female pupil. Hun Sen - Rota Secondary and Technical Public School was built in 2009-2010 based on a memorandum of understanding between Rota and the Cambodian Monithapana Foundation in 2007. Jabor bin Ali al-Dosari, Qatar’s Ambassador to Cambodia, praised the efforts of HE Sheikha Al-Mayassa. Talking to QNA, he said the school is helping strengthen Qatari-Cambodian relations that are currently witnessing continuous development. “Cambodian officials, led by King Norodom Sihamoni, express their admiration for this educational project. The local officials have thanked the State of Qatar and appreciated its efforts in supporting education in the Kingdom of Cambodia,” he added. Essa al-Mannai, executive director of Rota, said HE Sheikha Al-Mayassa stressed that the Hun Sen - Rota school was the first of its kind in Cambodia in terms of multi-facilities and educational programmes, providing a mix of formal and technical education.Tauch Cheuon, general manager (youth) in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, said the school was in line with the plans of the Cambodian government, aiming to raise the level of education - particularly technical and vocational courses. Meanwhile, Va Vuthy from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports thanked Qatar for its support. Chhuon Samrih, representative of Monithapana Foundation, said: “People and students here are very pleased about the visit (by HE Sheikha Al-Mayassa), which will inspire and motivate them to pay more attention and care to education and benefit from the school’s capabilities.”Leap Skomean, acting director of the school, told QNA that he was very pleased with the visit. He said the number of students has reached 1,000 and the school also has more than 90 teachers, adding that he expects the institute to accommodate more than 2,500 pupils in the coming years.The students thanked Rota for providing them with an educational environment that enables them to benefit from the advanced technicians and gain the skills and knowledge of various modern sciences. One of them, Britt Suki, said besides offering various facilities, the school also offered her accommodation as her home was far away.