Professor Phat Phanna's Journey and Impact through the Higher Education Improvement Project

Story Highlights

• The Higher Education Improvement Project (HEIP) supports Cambodia's efforts to improve the quality of higher education and research.
• Under the project, 161 science laboratories have been built or renovated, 53 research projects have received grants, 67 bachelor's and master's curricula have been revised and developed, and 89 faculty members have achieved advanced degrees.
• Over 128,000 students and 1,313 faculty members and educational staff have benefited.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, US$5 million was invested in e-learning through the HEIP, enabling nearly three million pupils across all age groups to continue with their education.

Professor Phat Phanna stands proudly between several university students in her experimental "nethouse" at the Royal University of Phnom Penh in the Cambodian capital city of Phnom Penh. By keeping insects away from the crops, the thin net covering the greenhouse-style structure reduces the need for expensive and polluting pesticides.

The nethouse is one of several innovations funded through a grant from the World Bank's US$90-million Higher Education Improvement Project (HEIP). Other aspects of Prof. Phanna's project include a new plant tissue culture laboratory, a plant breeding shed, and a workspace for students to conduct research.

"Having a well-equipped facility like this lab is an absolute necessity for advancing scientific research," Prof. Phanna notes. "Thanks to these innovative facilities, I'm confident in my ability to transfer my knowledge to students in the Department of Biological Engineering."

Research boost: diversifying agriculture in Cambodia

Contributing to the competitiveness of Cambodia's agricultural sector has always been a driving passion for Prof Phanna, who is herself a former student at the Royal University. After obtaining her bachelor's degree in Biology back in 2011, however, she went to the Republic of Korea to continue her education. While studying for her master's and later her PhD in agricultural biology at Jeonbuk National University, she worked as a researcher at two highly respected institutes: Jeollbuk-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services, and the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences.

After completing her studies, Prof. Phanna had all she needed to build a stellar academic career in Korea. Yet she felt compelled to return to Cambodia, where she felt her knowledge could be used to help advance the country's farming sector. Her particular passion centered on popularizing alternative crops that could be grown alongside rice, which is the main staple commodity in Cambodia. Diversifying farmers' output in this way could, she believed, provide greater resilience as well as higher overall productivity.

Her $32,000 grant from HEIP is helping her put this thesis to the test by financing research into the production of one such alternative: seedless watermelons. Watermelons have the benefit of being cheap and abundant in Cambodia, she explains. Equally important, international demand for the fruit is huge and the margin on exports is high. Moreover, the production cycle of watermelons means they can be grown between rice harvests, thereby providing an additional income stream for farmers.

As Prof. Phanna states: "A country cannot succeed in development by relying on just a single sector. In Cambodian agriculture, there are many rice specialists but very few specialists for watermelon and other crops. I am strongly in favor of advancing and diversifying the agricultural sector to help Cambodia grow."

Prof. Phanna's HEIP-funded research program focuses in particular on the breeding of tetraploid watermelon tissue, which can be used to grow seedless varieties of the fruit. Vital to this research is the collection of seed specimens. So far, her team has obtained almost 170 different samples, half from overseas and half from Cambodia itself. Insights from this impressive collection are now assisting her and her team to create a fifth generation of purified watermelon seeds.

Education upgrade: improving tertiary education

Prof. Phanna is far from the only academic to benefit from HEIP. Across Cambodia, support from the program is helping 149 faculty members. The list includes a number of her colleagues at the Royal University of Phnom Penh. Recipients of HEIP also comprise academic staff at four other universities - namely, the Institute of Technology of Cambodia, Svay Rieng University,​ the Royal University of Agriculture, and the National University of Battambang (NUBB).

The knock-on effects of the funding are considerable, notes His Excellency Sok Khorn, Rector at NUBB. As the largest public university in Cambodia's northwest region, NUBB has been able to bolster its academic offerings and improve its infrastructure, he explains. Support through the HEIP has also strengthened its links with industry as well as built out its STEM education, local partnerships, institutional capacity, and research.

By H.E. Sok Khorn's reckoning, more than 7,540 students have seen their educational experience improve significantly as a result. Of these, 63 percent are women, he adds. Similar positive results can be seen at the administrative and teaching level. To date, 157 of the university's staff have undergone upskilling training, for example, while 18 lecturers and four professors have achieved master's degrees and PhDs, respectively.

Importantly, NUBB's student body are also better prepared to meet the demands of the modern workforce, the university's Rector confirms. This is thanks in large part to improvement in the university curriculum, which now aligns closely with the Outcome-Based Education (OBE) model. As a consequence, NUBB graduates receive instruction that reflects the region's most pressing needs.

"The HEIP has played a pivotal role in transforming the National University of Battambang into a competent and recognized HEI [Higher Education Institution] at national, regional, and international levels," H.E. Sok Khorn says. "The project has empowered NUBB to deliver high-quality education and research capacity to contribute to the socioeconomic development of Cambodia."

Research-led development: championing smart innovation

Dr. Morm Sophany is one of those who was able to upgrade his degree as a consequence of a HEIP scholarship. After earning his PhD in Animal Science from Ubon Ratchathani University (UBU), in Thailand, he gained a promotion to Vice Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Processing at NUBB. Today, he says his capacity and leadership in research related to his specialist area have significantly improved.

"Prioritizing human resources development through upgrading from bachelor to master's degree or a master's degree to PhD is a long-term benefit for each university and for Cambodia as a whole . Continued support for degree upgrading and research activities is necessary for sustainable development," he states.

Since its launch in 2018, the ongoing $90-million HEIP has so far financed 53 research projects that have produced 73 research products and protypes. In addition to Prof. Phanna's exciting research into seedless watermelons, other innovations backed by the program include a smart irrigation controller, electrochemical sensors, lactic acid bacteria for fermentation, fresh pig feed, and a shock-absorbing floor mat. Moreover, over 128,000 students and 1,313 faculty members and educational staff have benefited and during the COVID-19 pandemic, US$5 million was invested in e-learning through the HEIP, enabling nearly three million pupils across all age groups to continue with their education.

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