Cambodia: French rapidly losing ground Of the 13,000 students enrolled at Phnom Penh universities in 1997, more than half, i.e. 7,000, are learning French. Financed by the Cultural Centre or the Aupelf-Uref, the courses are provided by 25 French-speaking lecturers, whose work also involves handing over the relay to Khmer professors. The secondary level has 200,000 pupils learning French. Up until 1975, French was the first foreign language taught in the kingdom; by the end of the eighties, it had totally disappeared. With the opening, in 1990, of the Alliance française* and the implementation of cooperation ventures with various establishments, the teaching of French was given a new lease on life, even if it is still outpaced by English and Chinese. Each year, several dozen students are sent to France to pursue their studies.

France is also present in the tourist sector, where courses have been set up at Phnom Penh University and at the Royal Administration School, which holds seminars in French. For its part, the Cultural Centre attracts some 6,000 Cambodian students and trainee teachers and is also present at Siemreap, Kompong Cham and Sihanoukville. The French-language media are relatively well established in Phnom Penh, with programmes broadcast on the national TV channel, a daily newspaper Cambodge soir and a monthly magazine Cambodge nouveau. RFI and TV5 are also picked up in Cambodia. Most of the country's elite, in particular lawyers, artists, academics and doctors, speak French.