• Society

The Open-Air Level of the Hun Sen Library is a Favorite Space among Students to Study or Read

• By Chhuon Kongieng
• December 2, 2023 2:00 PM

PHNOM PENH – The ground floor of the Hun Sen Library at the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) has been attracting students of all levels and several universities who find this open-air area a perfect place to study or just read.

“I always do my assignments and study here with my friends because it is surrounded by nature, and fresh air helps me release stress and continue working for hours, occasionally talking to each other,” said Try Vouchky, a first-year student in RUPP’s Department of Information Technology and Engineering.

Known as the “outdoor classroom,” the area is furnished with desks and bookcases containing a vast selection of books for students and visitors. People will also donate books to help fill the shelves.

While this area is very large, there are so many students from morning until evening that at times, Vouchky said, she has to wait to get a desk, which she does because this is the only area where she feels relaxed and that helps her study. Plus, she said, “This place is filled with many students who are studying, which motivates me to study as well.”

Heab Sinat who used to attend RUPP, continues to come to the outdoor classroom whenever he has the time even though he is studying at the Health Science Institute of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, he said. “Seeing others read books here makes me want to read more,” he said. “I can do my assignments and read books in this good environment. I will come here as long as I stay in Phnom Penh.”

Students from different universities said this as well. Chhun Ketumealea, a fifth-year student at the University of Health Sciences, has been coming to this place four days a week since her first year.

“It also improves my studying because I easily focus on my studies and understand the lessons well without any interruption,” she said. “There is fresh air unlike studying in a room.”

Ketumealea explained that there are several factors that help her study starting with the fact that, with the air flowing, it is not that hot even on very hot days. Second, she said, the lighting in the evening is really good for studying and there are many places for charging phones or computers, and third, there are bathrooms nearby.

Opening around 7 a.m. and closing at 9 p.m., the space is always quiet in spite of the numerous students using it because they all focus on their studies, Ketumealea said. Being able to study without interruption encourages her to complete her work on time and not delay tasks until they turn into a mountain of work, she said.

All this makes the “outdoor classroom” a great place to study, Ketumealea said.