leang un

Royal University of Phnom Penh, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Department Member

Other Affiliations:
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Research Interests:
Educational Policy Studies, Policy Analysis/Policy Studies, Anthropology of Education, Internationalization of higher education, Education, Higher Education, and 29 moreEducational Research, Critical Pedagogy, Educational Leadership, Quality assurance in Higher Education, Southeast Asian Studies, Southeast Asia, Nepal, Social Sciences, Philosophy, Research Methodology, Teacher Education, Ethics, Humanities, ASEAN, Critical Theory, Political Philosophy, Globalization and education, Comparative & International Education, Khmer Studies, Cambodian History, Neoliberalism, Post-Colonialism, Cambodia, Southeast Asian Politics, Comparative Education, Postcolonial Theory, Political Theory, Contemporary Philosphy, and Continental (vs.) Analytical Philosophyedit
About:
Obtaining his first degree in Philosophy from Royal University of Phnom Penh (1995-1999), Leang UN then went to pursu... moreObtaining his first degree in Philosophy from Royal University of Phnom Penh (1995-1999), Leang UN then went to pursue his master degree in Philosophy from Atenoe de Manila University in the Philippines (2000-2003) and a Ph.D. in Social and Behavourial Science from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands (2007-2012). He used to be a research fellow and visiting scholar at the Mekerere University (Uganda) in 2009, Northern Illinois University (USA) in 2011 and an off-residential senior research fellow at the Center for Khmer Studies (Cambodia) in 2014. In 2014, I granted to join the International Visitor Leadership Program provided by the Department of State, United States of America. In 2019, he receive a fellowship from Asia Center, Japan Foundation.During the early years of his career (2003-2007), he taught Philosophy and took part in local development work through his part-time job with local NGOs. Through this engagement, he noticed that the desire to obtain higher level of education as a way out of poverty and personal advancement as well as a tools for local and national development is very strong among Cambodian people, development workers and policy makers. This has encouraged him to continue his doctoral studies focused mainly on (comparative) education policy, looking particularly at how education contributes to the development in post-conflict societies. Immediately after completed his doctoral studies in 2012, he became more engaged in the education sector, through his various positions at Royal University of Phnom Penh, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport as well as with a number of international development organizations, especially through his extensive local and international engagement both in practical and intellectual exercises. These engagements have allowed him to see and reflect on the relationship between education and development. His research interest and publication focus on governanceedit
Advisors:
Prof. dr. H.G.C. Schulte Nordholt, Prof. dr. D.E.F. Henley, Dr. H.C.F. ten Brummelhuisedit

Papers

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Any effort to improve our current situation and the well-being of our society is most effective when we acknowledge the existence of gaps: the divides between policies and implementations, the complaints of under-and over-resourced, the contrast between the haves and the have-nots, and other obvious and hidden gaps among generations, countries and societies. For this fourth issue of THink, contributors write about gaps they have observed-and the potential solutions to bridge these gaps. Some writers delve into the realm of education: Shaireen Marchant suggests ways to improve early childhood education-by better understanding context through data and networks; Carmina Dalida and Gladys Malto highlight the significance of international collaborations in promoting STEM education in the Philippines; Dr Thanh Pham writes how Australia can enhance the employability of international students by supporting and encouraging them to utilise their own capital; and Leang Un, Lars Boomsma and Say Sok suggest how higher education in Cambodia can better serve the Cambodian society by reexamining the purpose of higher education, and by developing its unique discourse.

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This article analyses recent World Bank interventions aimed at improving higher education and local research capacity in low-income countries. Our empirical entry point is a critical analysis of the Development and Innovation Grant (DIG) scheme the Bank rolled out in Cambodia (2010–2015), a virtual carbon copy export of its Academic Initiative Fund in Bangladesh. Offering a rare insider perspective, we argue that the DIG scheme ultimately failed because the Bank so glaringly misunderstood the Cambodian context. We use this case to contemplate the deeper flaws in how the Bank 'thinks', highlighting how the world's most powerful development institution manages to maintain faith in its own infallibility despite failure.