Cambodia-China University of Technology, Science launched in Cambodian capital

This aerial photo taken on Dec. 20, 2023 shows the campus of the Cambodia-China University of Technology and Science (CamTech) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The CamTech was inaugurated here on Wednesday, aiming at providing opportunities for young talents to receive a high level of tertiary education. The university was jointly established by the Federation of Khmer Chinese in Cambodia and Nanjing Vocational University of Industry Technology. (Photo by Van Pov/Xinhua)

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodia-China University of Technology and Science (CamTech) was inaugurated here on Wednesday, aiming at providing opportunities for young talents to receive a high level of tertiary education.

Speaking at the event, Cambodian Minister of Education, Youth and Sports Hang Chuon Naron said the university will play an important role in helping develop human resources in Cambodia, particularly in science and technology.

"This university is another new achievement of Cambodia-China cooperation for human resources development, and is a strong testament to people-to-people contact between Cambodia and China," he said.

"I believe that this university will be a sacred place that can change the destiny of students and make every student's dream come true," he added.

Naron said improving the quality of higher education in science and technology is an important strategy of human resources development to achieve the country's development goals of becoming an upper middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income country by 2050.

According to the minister, the Southeast Asian country currently has 132 higher education institutions, a significant increase from only eight in 1997.

The university was jointly established by the Federation of Khmer Chinese in Cambodia and Nanjing Vocational University of Industry Technology.

Rith Sovandalin, a 20-year-old data science student at the newly launched university, said the university is a treasure trove of knowledge for students, particularly in the fields of science and technology.

"The school is equipped with an experimental lab and provides majors in modern technologies, which are most needed in Cambodia's job market," she told Xinhua. "There are not many data scientists in Cambodia, so I hope I will be a valuable talent for Cambodia in this field when I graduate."

Te Senghok, a 22-year-old architecture student at the Cambodia-China University of Technology and Science, said the university gives main focus on technology and it is more modern than other schools in the kingdom.

"I hope when I graduate, I will get a specific skill that I like, with an international-level degree, so I can find a job easily," he told Xinhua.

Situated in the Chroy Changvar Satellite City in Phnom Penh's Chroy Changvar district, the university's campus consists of a main university building, state-of-the-art facilities, an experimental lab, a garden and a canteen.