Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Catholic Cambodia
Phnom Penh (Agenzia Fides) – “The year 2026 is a year full of hope for the education sector of the Vicariate of Phnom Penh,” Bishop Olivier Schmitthäusler MEP, Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh, told Fides, outlining the various initiatives through which the Cambodian Church will increase its presence in education.
“At the Saint Francis Technical Institute, we are preparing a new three-year degree program. We already offer programs in agriculture and tourism. Thanks to our partnership with the Ministries of Education, Culture, and Post and Telecommunications, we will now establish programs in literature, computer science, and artificial intelligence for the period 2026-2027,” which, he notes, will attract the interest of many young people.
“We are collaborating with the Catholic University of Macau,” he reports, “to create a new Saint Paul University in Phnom Penh, and are working towards the transition from the Saint Paul Institute to the Saint Paul University. The architecture faculty of the Catholic University of Macau is currently working on the design of a modern, integrated, and environmentally friendly campus.” As for the academic program, the university is fully integrated into international networks: “In addition to the Erasmus scholarships already offered at the Saint Paul Institute, we will intensify our exchange with professors at Sophia University in Japan” to create and ensure an increasingly high-quality educational offering. The Saint Paul Institute has already entered into an agreement with the Australian Catholic University (ACU) to create opportunities for collaboration between the two institutions, both members of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities of Southeast and East Asia (ASEACCU). The aim is to cooperate on academic activities, research programs, and the mobility of staff and students. With an approach based on “faith, reason, respect for human dignity, and the pursuit of knowledge,” the ACU and the Saint Paul Institute commit themselves to “awakening hope, fostering growth, and encouraging students to become responsible citizens,” according to the signed agreement.
As Bishop Olivier Schmitthäusler emphasizes, rebuilding the education system in Cambodia, which was devastated by the regime of the 1970s and twenty years of civil war, is one of the Church’s most important tasks in the country. The education sector is therefore a priority for the Church in Cambodia, which is striving to improve its educational strategies at all levels. Since the early 1990s, the Church has been working with the government and civil society to open new schools that not only provide a basic education but also promote and instill values in society. For years, the Catholic community has also been particularly committed to the education of the poorest members of society. In many cities, ‘Student Dormitories’ have been opened, providing children from rural areas with a place to continue their studies. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 7/3/2026)
