These photos were taken by Samuel and Vany Jackson, and Terence White, in 1973 or ’74. The negatives were kept by Sam for 44 years and donated to Bophana Center in 2019. They are the only known existing evidence of a remarkable enterprise which was optimistically undertaken in a city already besieged by the Khmer Rouge. If you were one of the students, or if you know anyone in the pictures, please contact me at this website.

 

ETAPP (English Teachers Association of Phnom Penh) started as a cooperative of a few English language teachers who were working privately in Phnom Penh. In an effort to coordinate their activities and pool resources, the association held informal meetings. Finally, two Americans – Samuel Jackson III and Egon Rassow Jr – decided to find a building and open a school.

 

ETAPP Language Center opened its doors at #8, Vithei Pologne, on 15th January 1973. It had six classrooms and, at first, six American, Australian and British teachers. The initial enrollment was over 400 students, peaking at over 800 in 1974. Beginners’ to advanced courses were set up, and the basic textbook used was “English For Today”. In addition to the basic course, there were commercial courses, an Australian Orientation course provided by the Australian Embassy, and a literature course covering short stories and poetry by such masters as Shakespeare, Marvell and Shelley. Examinations used a TESTS Program. There were several film screenings per week, and a scholarship program in which 42 full-term scholarships were awarded. It became the official test centre for the University of Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency.