Empowering students
BEA is a small non-government organisation (NGO) that offers English language lessons, job skills workshops, and teacher training to disadvantage youth in Siem Reap, Cambodia. BEA provides quality education in a clean, safe and professional environment where students can develop not only their language and job skills, but also confidence in themselves. We enrol 150s students each year for our one-year programs and workshops. Students participate in English language and library reading programs, as well as presentation skills, writing, job skills, and self-development workshops. Class size is limited to less than 30 students so that each student receives individual attention. BEA provides all of its programs free of charge, and also gives students all their school supplies for free, which cost only $15 U.S. for each student for the entire school year. In addition, students get to learn with the same resources provided to students in language schools in developed countries, such as flashcards, handouts, art supplies and audio equipment. In special cases, BEA also offers students support for their public schools fees. BEA believes this is the first step in empowering Cambodian students. This type of education helps students find work in the tourist industry that provides better salaries and safer work environments than jobs in construction, farming, or markets.
Empowering teachers
BEA empowers Cambodian language teachers by providing them the most recent EFL (English as a foreign language) teaching methods, and adapts these methods to align with the cultural values of Cambodian teachers and students. BEA's teachers participate in on-site and online teacher training programs, and its students also get the chance to enrol in an intensive training program that prepares them to teach English at BEA or at other local NGOs in Siem Reap. The directors attend teaching conferences to present research conducted at the school and to share resources with other teaching professionals. BEA pays its teaching staff above the national average so that they can save money to support their families and pay for their university studies.
Empowering development
Providing these programs and workshops takes a lot of hard work and dedication, but it only costs $1,500 U.S. each month. These costs include BEA's rent, building maintenance, staff salaries, and teaching equipment and materials. We provide our staff with salaries that are above the national average, and with fair working conditions. This allows them to help support their families, and save for their university studies. BEA contributes to the field of teaching and to raising awareness about the challenges of going to school in developing countries through its publications. BEA also designs its own textbooks and teaching manuals that are available for other Cambodian teachers and organisations. Essentially, BEA is committed to giving Cambodian students and teachers the chance for a bright and successful future, and to make sure that their creativity, determination, and talent has a role in Cambodia's development.
