Professional Education Programme for Land Management and Land Administration in Cambodia

Abstract

Land management and land administration are defined as a system of planning, management and administration methods and techniques that aims to integrate ecological with social, economic and legal principles in the management of land for urban and rural development purposes. The main objective is to meet changing and developing human needs, while simultaneously ensuring long-term productive potential of natural resources together with maintenance of inherent environmental and cultural functions. In the wake of social and political turmoil in Cambodia's recent history in the late twentieth century, there is rising demand for land management and land administration that will pave the way for economic development in the country. This results in demand for educated young professionals in the related areas of land management, land administration, surveying and remote sensing. While geographic education in schools will provide this pool of human resource in the long term, the immediate needs can only be met through professional development of existing workers and officers in these areas. It is also through professional development that education for sustainable development (ESD) will have the farthest reach in society, in this case. This article documents a critical geography approach to solving a geographic and environmental education problem. In addition to providing the empirical evidence for the lack of professional geographic education, this article describes how the researchers are agents of change in creatively solving the problem through adopting a professional development approach. The article also assesses the present status of professional development as the mode of ESD in Cambodia and provides a framework for using professional development as a continuing educational mechanism for other developing countries.

Keywords:

• education for sustainable development
• land management
• professional education