The Department of English, IFL, RUPP, would like to extend our very warm greetings and welcome to you to the Royal University of Phnom Penh, Institute of Foreign Languages and, particularly, the Department of English for 2027-2028.

The Department of English, IFL, RUPP, is one of Cambodia’s most respected, prestigious and reform-oriented English language institutions. It offers such programmes as MA in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), Bachelor of Education in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (B.Ed. in TEFL), Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English for Work Skills, certificate courses, professional English language training, and other non-degree programmes. It is noteworthy that so far the Department has conducted 16 out of the 17 Japan Development Scholarship (JDS) Pre-departure Training courses, 5 Australian Award of Cambodia (AAS) IELTS courses, and a Police Academy of Cambodia (PAC) English training course. The Department also teaches special short courses for employment purposes.

You can learn effectively at IFL in a learner-friendly, safe, tranquil and caring environment. We have a wide variety of facilities and resources, including two well-equipped Japan-funded language laboratories and a well-resourced Self-Access Centre. Moreover, our faculty has been professionally trained both overseas, mostly in English-speaking countries, and in Cambodia. They have extensive experience in teaching English and take pride in nurturing their students’ progress and helping students to attain academic and life goals.

We do our best to ensure that your study at the Department of English, IFL, RUPP, is a highly rewarding experience. We aim to prepare our students to become well-rounded citizens, to be competent in English and to gain considerable world knowledge and work skills which are required in today’s job market.

We sincerely hope you will enjoy learning with us and find the knowledge and experience gained at DOE, IFL, RUPP, rewarding and responsive to your needs.

We wish you great success with your study!

Department of English
 

The Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP), formerly the Royal Khmer University, was founded on 13th January 1960. It opened with a faculty of Letters and Humanities and a faculty of Science and Technology. The language of instruction in this period was French.

In 1970, the Royal Khmer University became Phnom Penh University. At that time, there were nine faculties: Letters and Humanities, Sciences, Pharmacy, Law and Economics, Medicine and Dentistry, Commerce, Pedagogy, Language Institute, and the National Administration School.

The University was reopened as the Teacher Training College in 1980 and as the Foreign Language Institute (FLI) in 1981. In 1988, the College and the FLI merged to create Phnom Penh University, and in 1996, it was renamed the Royal University of Phnom Penh.

In recognition of the future trend that students in secondary schools must learn foreign languages, either English or French, the Ministry of Education, with an Australian NGO called the Quaker Service Australia (QSA), established a Cambodian English Language Training Programme (CELT) to provide English language training to government officials and train foreign language teachers for secondary schools in Cambodia.

CELT began in 1985 when QSA undertook the development of English language training in Cambodia, which was sponsored by the Australian government. The project grew significantly over the three phases of 1985-88, 1988-1991, and 1991-1993, expanding from 15 to 150 students by 1993. The programme was taught by a Cambodian teacher in 1985 and then by Australian teachers.

The Department of English was established with financial and academic assistance from QSA to provide training in English and teacher training. The department was managed by QSA until 1993 and then handed over to a joint project between the International Development Programme (IDP) Education, Australia, and the University of Canberra. This project was funded by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) until the end of 1996. When the joint project took over the department in 1993, a four-year B.Ed. in TEFL degree curriculum for the programme was designed and prepared with consultants from the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), Australia. In 1997, a four-year BA in English for Work Skills was introduced to enhance English knowledge and skills for current and future employment.

Today, IFL’s Department of English is regarded as Cambodia’s leading English-language institution and has graduated around 10,000 students.
 

VISION

The Department of English will be a national leader in English language education, research, and human resource development with regional and international quality standards.

MISSIONS

1.    To produce highly qualified graduates with proficient English proficiency, marketable skills, and a disciplined character
2.    To promote patriotism, social engagement, continuous professional development, and life-long learning
3.    To meet increased market demand for IT-assisted English language education, research, and ELT management
4.    To satisfy stakeholders by providing high-quality professional training, research outputs, and services
5.    To build local, regional, and international partnerships