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(1) Schools play a crucial role in educating student behavior
I urge you all to continue your research and studies to strengthen your capabilities for the future. An important task within the education sector is that, aside from strengthening hard infrastructure and focusing on teaching knowledge and skills, schools play a vital role in educating student behavior. The structure we design — aiming for a four-year bachelor’s degree or further to a master’s degree — actually, seeks the school playing a crucial role without us even realizing it. The teaching methods, the school’s internal regulations, and the weight of academic standards all have a significant impact on shaping the behavior students carry with them when they graduate and enter the workforce. Students may not fully realize the extent of these restrictions; they only know to strive hard to finish. This is a key point which I think building and organizing a school should not just be directed toward what students learn or what grades they receive, but must ensure that upon graduation, students possess genuine behavior and real capabilities to secure employment and succeed in life.
(2) When competing in life and society, there are no teachers to give grades
It is the same for students. One should not go to school just wanting grades and a diploma. We must not go to school simply wishing to get an “A” grade and a certificate without having full behavior and capability. What does that mean? Some people want an easy school so they don’t have to study hard, arriving just to get an “A” and graduate right away. Nowadays, when homework is assigned, if AI can be used, people just use it directly without doing it themselves. Please don’t forget: you might get that “A” grade and that diploma, but when you go out to compete in life, there are no teachers to help you and no one to give you grades. Earning points in society is difficult. Let me share my own experience. When we are students, we don’t realize this, but once we graduate and become leaders — organizing work systems, internal regulations, and educational or organizational frameworks — we see it clearly. Let me use my military school experience as an example.
(3) Lessons in books, I may forget … but lessons in life and attitude, I never
Back in America, the military academy was different from others — different even from regular American schools — but it had a clear goal – to cultivate the professional skills and attitude of a military commander. I believe that becoming a military commander or going out to work in the civilian sector is no different. I always say that the textbook lessons I learned there for four years, I have forgotten all of them … but the life lessons and attitude, I have never forgotten […] For example, when students enter on the first day, the school’s regulations strip away speaking privileges, allowing only four phrases to be spoken: “Yes, sir!”, “No, sir!”, “No excuse, sir!”, and “Sir, I do not understand!” During the first year, no other speaking rights are given. You can only answer yes, no, no excuse, and I don’t understand, please repeat. The fourth one is just secondary. (Often) there are only three. Whether you succeed or fail in your work, they ask you – are you finished? You only have the right to answer with three! If finished, say “Yes, sir!”; if not finished, say “No, sir!”, without adding any reasons why. When asked why you didn’t finish, you are given no right to explain anything; you are only given the right to say “No excuse.” There is no acceptable reason for not being finished yet. I must push through and finish it.
(4) Before making excuses externally, one must realize that everything comes from within oneself
Looking back at that time, as new students entering, both I and everyone else thought it was unfair. Why must you always take the blame? The education system was set up so that superiors could bully subordinates […] But no matter how much we complained or grumbled, we still had to do it. It is because of this, after a period of times, we stopped thinking about making excuses and finding reasons like “why,” and focused solely on pushing ourselves to finish (what we came for). If it wasn’t done, we worked harder to finish it. There was no shifting blame onto external factors, saying it was because of this person or that — we simply knew it was our own fault and we had to fix it to completion. They wanted to teach us that before looking for external excuses, we must trust ourselves that everything lies within us. If we start bringing in external reasons, we stop trying hard. We think we have lost control of our own agency. In reality, they wanted us to think: “it is nobody else’s fault. Personal accountability comes from within. Figure out a way to get it done over those four years.“
(5) School concepts and regulations are key factors for educating people
In real life, after graduation, it is all the same. On the battlefield, there are no choices. If they give you a certain number of troops and higher-ups send nothing to help, you must find a way to solve the problem. You cannot just sit there paralyzed, sitting in failure and shouting that (it all impossible because the) superiors didn’t give you guns or equipment to help — you must figure it out yourself. There is a reason behind this teaching. When we were students, we grumbled, but as time passed, we realized this was the very purpose of the education. They don’t just teach you how to shoot guns, measure angles, or learn tactics; they teach you to have the attitude of responsibility and the creativity to solve problems on your own. When I say that the design of the school’s concepts and regulations is important, it is because it educates people day in and day out.
(6) Honor Code … “do not lie, do not steal, do not cheat, or collude with cheaters”
Secondly, upon entering on the first day, you must live under the Honor Code. The Honor Code means that students studying there must not lie, steal, cheat, or collude with cheaters. Other minor offenses lead to punishments like cleaning toilets, but the offense of lying results in automatic expulsion. A friend of mine who studied in the same company and the same platoon was expelled because he prepared a paper for school and a portion of it was copied from the internet. He was caught and called in for questioning. He lied that he did not copy it. He was expelled because he lied. He lacked accountability[…] Today, we are in the age of AI. When I studied there, AI did not exist yet. He went on the internet and copied text from the internet to paste […] but teachers have software to catch (this plagiarism). You submit the document and scan it, and they know it is copied material. One generation leader was expelled for a week. That’s no small matter — he was the number one class president, too. Similarly, with only two weeks left, he wrote his final thesis in his major by copying parts of it as well. Afterward, he was caught, just like the others. He was expelled. Facing expulsion in his fourth year meant he owed the state money, as the state funded $200,000 per year for his studies. He was dropped back a class and had to go work to pay the state back for several years.
(7) No matter how difficult the work is, people must be nurtured not to take shortcuts
There was no leniency given just because you were a regular student or the class president. Those who knew about it and refused to report it were also expelled. What does that mean? No matter how difficult the work is, people must be nurtured never to take shortcuts. You must dare to be honest. Whatever you achieve through your own personal effort is far better than copying something that isn’t yours and getting expelled. This is the school’s internal regulation […] Another thing – when going to classes at the military academy, we didn’t just talk about inspecting troops; we talked strictly about academics. Compared to regular schools, the student workload there was multiplied by two. That means while a normal semester usually requires taking 6 classes, there they had 10 to 12 classes.
Secondly, from 5:00 AM when the lights turned on until 10:00 PM when the lights had to be turned off, there were constant programs. Early in the morning, you wake up at 5:00 AM, go jogging, pick up documents, deliver newspapers to superiors, pick up superiors’ dirty laundry […] and you only study for four hours. Outside of that, there are sports programs and other activities. Students at that school would say it was unfair. Students graduating from that school had their GPAs boosted by one or two points when compared to other schools. For example, if you got a “C” here and transferred to another school, they would boost it to a “B”. My friend who studied there got a C-minus and failed because he cheated. But when he went outside for a single semester elsewhere, he got straight A’s the whole time. Their academic standard was that high.
(8) As cadet graduates from school, one must have decision-making capacity by knowing how to prioritize
The way it is designed is not by accident. They are not trying to torment students. They know that when a cadet graduates, it is not just about what you studied or what you know, but about your ability to make decisions when faced with an abundance of information and tasks — how do you decide? They teach you how to prioritize […] And do not be afraid of students running away or facing hardship, because it builds experience. Human beings, although possessing great capability and potential, can accomplish anything if placed in the right environment. That is why I sometimes joke that you cannot jump over a 2-meter fence in a normal circumstance. You can’t even climb it with a ladder. But if a dog is chasing you, you manage to jump it. When you first enter military training, you wake up from sleep and run just half a kilometer, and you feel like you can’t make it. After entering for three months, you can run 5 kilometers because they push what is inside you to reach that level. Each class is taught differently from regular schools. In regular schools, students just wait for the teacher to lecture, take notes, and memorize them. There, they use the Thayer Method. The first superintendent of the US Military Academy was a French, not an American. America had asked France to help establish a military academy. The person who originally established it was a Frenchman named Sylvanus Thayer. He took the system from France and implemented it there.
(9) Fulfilling duties shapes individuals to have proper conduct
Just like how we now conduct additional research, adopting teaching methods from things like the International Baccalaureate (IB) and adding them in — we do this to develop and grow. However, under that program, there are many classes, and students must study the material beforehand; when they arrive in class, the time is spent purely on discussions. Teachers do not go to the front of the class to teach or lecture. Teachers do not write anything on the whiteboard for us. They expect all students to have already studied before arriving. Once inside, you must discuss. Anyone who doesn’t know the material or doesn’t participate in the discussion gets penalized.
I mention this experience to show that when we were students, everyone grumbled just the same. Name me a student with a heavy course load who doesn’t grumble? But grumble or not, you still have had to do it. It is that very duty and obligation that shapes us into having proper conduct. At first, we thought that “Oh! It’s unheard of for someone to give twice as much teaching material at once, giving us no extra time. Lights out at 10:00 PM sharp. If you dare turn on a light and get caught by inspection, you’re dead.” Both for me and everyone else, the only place left with lights on was the restroom. At night, the restrooms or toilets were packed with people. Not because anyone was using the restroom for an hour, but because they went there to sit and study.
(10) Schools is where to teach and foster conditions for students to earn real, practical skills through their degrees
What I want to emphasize is that proper organization is crucial. A school should not simply be a center that hands out diplomas or gives students good grades. A school should be a place that establishes teaching methods and conditions such that when students earn their degrees — along with whatever skills they have acquired, regardless of their exact scores — the process of acquiring those grades and knowledge is truly robust and transparent. If students rely entirely on AI and we still let them pass, they will not be able to function in the real world. Let us not forget that if every student graduates with a lack of genuine capability, our country will be left with human resources that are difficult to utilize. What kind of competition are we talking about? Even before AI is fully settled, the world is already moving toward preparing for AGI (Artificial General Intelligence). Right now, we think Artificial Intelligence is smart. Sometimes, whenever a question is asked, people just go to AI. Previously, with Google, you would type a query and it would search for existing articles, but it wouldn’t piece words together into a coherent essay for you. Now, this AI takes various texts, pieces them together, and arranges them in a smooth, logical order.
(11) People possess virtue and morality that enable them to accomplish tasks machines cannot achieve
AGI — Artificial General Intelligence — will one day be like humans, or even smarter, because while AI has limits, AGI learns. That means once it answers something, it learns from experience and feedback afterwards. They say computers can learn like humans. However, humans remain the controllers of AI. Yesterday, during a meeting of the ASEAN Heads of Civil Service plus Three, we discussed AI and AI development. Nevertheless, humans are still necessary to manage it because humans have inherent value — meaning virtue and morality — that enable them to accomplish tasks machines cannot achieve. In the past, people discussed how using AI in warfare, like robots, lacks decision-making capacity; when ordered to fire, they simply fire. A human, on the other hand, might decide when not to kill and instead take prisoners of war. Robots deployed in combat have no sentiment or empathy. While they can be utilized, there must always be human oversight and judgment.
(12) Students must possess knowledge, skills, and attitude, especially value of competition and real capability
Nevertheless, looking at all administrative institutional setups, I see that both the private sector and public schools have strengthened their research significantly. Regarding the knowledge and hard skill we acquire, I ask that we consider the conditions and teaching methods to ensure that graduating students possess both clear knowledge and practical skills, combined with proper attitude — especially valuing competition and real capability, rather than relying on a degree and GPA, which do not necessarily guarantee success. I mentioned earlier about the strict standards of degrees at the military academy – because it is known to be rigorous, graduates are given a boost when transferring elsewhere — for instance, a “C” grade at that academy is treated as equivalent to a “B” elsewhere because of the comparable standard. The most important thing for students is how they will, down the road, transform these diplomas into real, demonstrable capabilities. Study to gain clear knowledge and master one or two core skills. You don’t need to know too much; master one or two primary areas thoroughly. Other types of knowledge can be learned secondarily… but make sure those one or two areas are crystal clear so you can apply them, expand yourself, and conduct further research.
(13) One must have the capability to manage and utilize technology to succeed
The capability and potential of our youth today are substantial; what matters is that they are to read/look and concentrate. Today, everything is right in our hands — meaning it is right inside our smartphones. Whatever you want to know, you can search and ask immediately. However, never let your phone do the thinking for you. That means do not rely so heavily on technology while lacking substance within yourself, hoping that technology alone will bring you success in life. That simply will not work. We must have the capability to manage technology and control its usage through our own competence in order to succeed. A nation needs people who know how to work. If we only have individuals who know how to click on computers, where every question and answer comes straight from a phone, then people are no longer needed. Computers would replace humans entirely, because whenever you ask people a question, they don’t know the answer and just say, “Wait, let me ask AI.” In that case, people will just use AI directly to save the trouble.
(14) Students must have fundamental internal skills, while technology serves as an added booster
I believe that research and the organization of our educational system — especially educational quality — do not mean “quality” is measured merely by equipping classrooms with computers or building tall structures. While these are means to enhance the environment for learning, they are not the ultimate goals. If we have great buildings and a great educational system, but students fail to use those assets to develop what is inside themselves, it remains a challenge. If we allow students to use technology without setting internal boundaries or requiring them to master certain fundamentals on their own, we run into trouble. The other day in Khsach Kandal, I asked what grade level students are permitted to use calculators, and how many of them can still multiply and add numbers by hand. The teacher told me that calculators are only allowed toward the end of their schooling. That is what we must maintain – students must possess internal, fundamental skills, with technology acting as an added booster. We say that private education is a business, but it is a necessary business unlike any other—different from a noodle shop or a car manufacturing plant.
(15) The Government issues policies to strengthen human resources, while public and private educational institutions carry them out
Private education is a business that builds human resources, which in turn enhances the nation’s capacity. We have continuously worked on this with the participation of all universities, both public and private, in ongoing research. Our human resources depend on us. Our country depends on us. The government can only issue policies to strengthen human resources, but how they are implemented depends entirely on educational institutions — both public and private. It is these institutions that must carry out those policies. Please do not lower educational quality just to compete. What worries me most is lowering quality for the sake of competition — giving out degrees even when students haven’t truly attended or studied. That is a problem; it holds no value. In the future, our “brand” will be ruined. What do I mean by brand? It is no different from coffee shops. In the past, if a shop didn’t have air conditioning, people wouldn’t enter because those places were expensive. Later, as people’s living standards improved, they sought true quality. People became willing to line up and wait for the places that genuinely delivered true quality.
(16) The private sector participates in helping achieve Samdech Techo’s policy of expanding educational services at all levels
In human capital development, we are not just talking about higher education; we must consider lower levels as well. Our state is working hard to strengthen and expand further. Due to a shortage of infrastructure and teachers, we are finding alternative formulas for expansion. This mandate, we have engaged contract teachers based on agreements to expand education down to the grassroots level so students do not drop out. In some remote areas, students drop out, so we are extending our formulas to places where teachers can be found. Primary school teachers are easier to find than middle and high school teachers, and their qualification requirements are not as high.However, high school teachers — such as physics, chemistry, and other specialized teachers — are crucial. So how do we train them? Qualified, retired teachers can be brought back under contract formulas to staff those schools. Otherwise, we cannot solve this quality issue. Nevertheless, the majority pre-higher education remains in public schools. At the higher education level, private schools play a large role in filling the gap. Thanks to the participation of the private sector, the policy introduced by Samdech Techo has successfully expanded educational services all the way to the provinces. Relying solely on public schools would be difficult, so private sector participation is wonderful.
(17) Teaching methods and internal regulations help students achieve grades and fosters various perspectives
The other day, alongside His Excellency Hang Chuon Naron, I went to inaugurate a Zoom-based teaching program where, even if a province lacks a specific teacher, students can connect via the system in cooperation with a local school that can facilitate the lessons transmitted from Phnom Penh, with students traveling to Phnom Penh a few times a year. That is a wonderful initiative made possible by technology. I ask the local schools receiving these Zoom lessons to properly manage and discipline their students. The discipline must remain the same. Even though the teacher is lecturing from Phnom Penh, students must maintain the same disciplined attendance in the classroom or participate through supplemental formats. This helps guarantee educational quality and structural integrity. As I mentioned, arranging teaching methods and internal school regulation doesn’t just help students earn grades; it fosters various other perspectives. In an increasingly accessible technological era, we must ensure that graduating students maintain guaranteed quality.
(18) Efficiency, quality, skills, and attitude equal Productivity
When we say “quality,” it doesn’t just mean a numerical statistic like a 97% employment rate. Though a 97% employment rate is great — it is what we want, meaning students graduate and get jobs, but it is even better when that 97% of graduates carry their degrees into their civil or public institutions and genuinely improve them, cultivating a mindset of lifelong learning combined with dedicated practical work. That is true success. Quality, skills, and attitude combined lead to excellence. In other words – Efficiency + Quality + Skills + Attitude = Productivity. No matter how hard someone studies or works, if their productivity level is capped, they can only help up to a certain point and go no further. No matter how much they study or what they know, if they lack drive, motivation, or proper working methodology, they cannot unleash their full potential, and productivity remains low. But when all these elements go together, productivity is high. Knowledge coupled with willpower and hard effort is ideal. Willpower and effort alone can help to a certain degree. But if someone has willpower without proper effort — engaging in backstabbing or undermining colleagues — it only creates organizational chaos.
(19) A habit of thoroughness, focusing on small details, helps lead to successful work
Let me share an experience from my school days. I used to wonder why that academy placed such high demands on us. Why did we have to wake up in the morning and measure our bed arrangements with a ruler, facing punishment for even the slightest deviation? Those minor details weren’t meant to torment students; they were designed to train people to focus on small details. No matter how tight time constraints are, you must learn to prioritize big tasks while handling those small details consistently. Looking back now, 25 years later—well, 31 years now! I thought I was younger than I am. July 1995 to August 2026 is 31 years. The lessons I learned during those first three months and lived through for four years continue to help me to this day. Back then, I didn’t realize that those tiny habits would help me succeed in my career later.
(20) What the school provides is lasting knowledge, which after graduation, prepare oneself to thrive in life
If a school relaxes its standards and hands out degrees without requiring hard study, students would naturally want that — when I was a student, anyone would love getting an “A” the easy way. When teachers are strict, students grumble, but once you graduate, those good habits stay with you permanently. It is just like military training. I remember trainee soldiers being sent out to train at Krang Chek school, where the instructors were famously tough. Trainees grumbled and even wanted to protest […] but once those students graduated and went abroad, where training was even harsher than at Krang Chek, they returned to thank and apologize to their instructors, saying: “If it weren’t for your strict training back then, I would have broken down out there in the real world.” Training abroad was far more intense than Krang Chek. At Krang Chek, instructors still showed empathy and sentiment — even if disciplinary measures were occasionally strict. I believe everyone who studies wants a degree and wants to get through the program, but most importantly, what the school gives us is what remains with us after graduation to prepare us to thrive further in life. This is the ultimate purpose for students who invest their money and time to sit and study for four years.
(21) In school, one can ask for a retest; in the competition of life, one cannot
School is a place where, if you fail a test, you can take it again. You can ask the teacher for a retake; if you fail one test, you do another. But when you go out to compete in life, you cannot do that. Believe me. Once an opportunity is gone, it is gone — no one will give it to you again. If you are applying for a manager position and you fail, you won’t be given a chance to retake the exam for that Manager role next year, because the position will already be filled by someone else. Therefore, working requires not just technical skills, but also proper attitude. A chef might be an expert at cooking delicious food, but if their attitude is bad — if they are arrogant and boast that if they leave, the restaurant will collapse—then there is nothing you can do. Let them leave whenever they want. Believe me, it won’t be long. You can go wherever you like; they will simply find a new head chef. Even if a chef is talented, if his/her attitude is poor, the problem persists — the owners will prefer to find someone else. They may endure hardship but it is better in leadership.
(22) Let us enhance education for a strong, long-lasting, sustainable, and resilient nation in the face of all circumstances
This is the message I would like to share with the students here. Upon graduation, 97% of you will be employed. Venerable monks, do you have plans to return to secular life after this? I once distributed degrees in Kratie. There was a monk who was supposed to come up, but on the diploma, the photo showed him wearing a suit and tie. I said, “This is wrong; the photo should be of a monk.” However, my team whispered to me, “No, it is correct, the Venerable is about to return to secular life.” After receiving the degree, he would leave the monkhood. Now, we provide that freedom; there is no issue with that. In the past, if we wanted to study in the provinces, we would become monks to attend schools at the pagodas because our provinces lacked enough schools. Please let us continue to contribute more, and let us find ways to work together — both in terms of quantity and quality — to enhance education and increase the capabilities of our citizens, in order to make our country stronger, long-lasting, sustainable, and resilient in the face of all circumstances […]./.
