IA07: The many benefits of university education

There are a growing number of opportunities for Cambodian students to study abroad, with scholarships available for universities in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, America, and many other desirable destinations. There are also a growing number of Cambodian universities (such as AUPP and Zaman) that are striving to provide world-quality education. But in the race to get the best degree it is important to put education into a proper context.

Perhaps the most obvious benefit from university is getting that vital piece of paper at the end of your learning journey, which opens up many doors that may stay closed for those who do not go to university. Getting a degree can be a necessary prerequisite for many careers and is correlated with higher incomes, but university is about a lot more than simply getting qualified.

First, and this may sound like a cliché, but when thinking about education you should remember to have fun. When considering what to study and where to study it is important that you choose an education that you enjoy -- you will spend a long time at university, and even longer in your chosen career, and you don't want to spend that time doing something you hate.

Besides having fun, there are three things that you should try to take away from your education that are not automatic.

Many people manage to get through university without truly understanding what they have been told in class. Whether you go to the best foreign university or attend the cheapest local university, it is really up to the student whether you are just going to pass, or you are actually going to learn. Plenty of students from top quality universities will get their degree by practicing how to pass tests, but without properly getting to know their topic. My suggestion is that if you are going to dedicate four (or more) years of your life to university, you should do yourself the favour of expanding your knowledge while you are there.

In particular, regardless of what degree you study, make sure you learn English; and for those students who do want to study overseas make sure that you have a very good understanding of English before you go or you may end up wasting your time and money. If you can’t clearly understand the words I’m using now, then you are not ready to study overseas.

Arguably, even more important than what you learn at university is who you meet. The contacts you make at university will be some of the most important networks you will have in your working life -- challenging you to be better, introducing you to opportunities, providing links to powerful people and important information, being partners in new ventures, and providing the friendship and support that we all need. While it is difficult to measure, this so-called “social capital” is hugely important in helping graduates to succeed in their chosen career.

This means, for example, that if you go to study in Australia then you should make time to go to the pub. Spending time with friends and classmates is not a “waste of time” but can be an important investment in your future. Try to reach out to people across various cultural divides and be open to new experiences.

Finally, the most important thing you can learn at university is not anything specific, but rather learning how to think critically and solve new problems. While it can be important to learn pieces of information in your chosen field, far more important is learning how to be a problem solver -- how to see a new problem, work out an approach to tackle it, develop your own theories or ideas, and then test yourself against the best minds of your field. Try to learn not just the conclusions, but to understand the thought process that led to those conclusions. Be willing to challenge the conventional wisdom and search for new answers… or even better, search for new questions.

When you enter your career, there is a good chance that your work will be quite different from what you studied. This is normal. The successful graduates are those people who can learn to adjust quickly to new situations, learn on the job, and can do more than simply follow orders. Having an open, inquisitive, and sceptical mind is one of the best assets that you can bring to the world.

My final point covers a slightly different topic.

University can have a lot of benefits, but those benefits are only available to people who can afford the fees or receive a scholarship. Unfortunately, that means that some talented and dedicated young people miss out on going to university, which is a loss for them and also for the country.

Since 2007 the Human Capital Project has worked with the University of Management and Economics to solve this problem and ensure that everybody can access university regardless of their financial situation. We do not simply provide more scholarships. Instead, HCP offers to pay the tuition fees for eligible students, and when those students graduate, if they get a proper job then they agree to contribute back some of their income to pay for the next generation of HCP students. Graduates who do not get a job or get a very low paid job do not have to pay, while graduates who get a very good job are expected to pay more. By creating a “pass-it-forward” scheme, the hope is to build a sustainable and scalable project of Cambodians helping other Cambodians without the need for foreign aid.

Even with HCP finance we have noticed that some people from rural areas are still unable to go to university because they cannot afford to live in town. While some young men are able to stay at the pagoda, young women do not have that option. In response, HCP and UME in Kampong Cham have combined to create new female dormitory accommodation that has just been built, and will be provided for free to eligible students.

If you know of anybody who wants to go to university but is unable because of the tuition fees, then please encourage them to visit the University of Management and Economics (in Kampong Cham, Sihanoukville, or Battambang) and ask for more information about the Human Capital Project.

John Humphreys is the Executive Director of the Professional Research Institute for Management and Economics (PRIME) and the President of the Human Capital Project (HCP).

* IA07 = Issue Analysis 07 - This article was originally delivered as a speech by John Humphreys at a workshop on university opportunities, hosted by the University of Management and Economics in Kampong Cham.

###