In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the subject

Modern Education Trends

Education System of
Cambodia

Submitted to:

DR. JULIO ESTORNINOS

Submitted by:

CLARISSA C. REYES
 Maed

Education
System of
Cambodia
Map of Cambodia

181,035 square
kilometers.

Ancient Empire
 Cambodia was once a great ancient
empire dating back to around the first
century BC

 By the 12th century, Cambodia had

spread into other areas, now known as
Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and Malaysia
(the peninsula)
Basic Information

As of July 2011 Language: Khmer

Population is roughly 14,701,717 (French, Chinese & English)

Ethnic Groups

Khmer Religion
Vietname
se,
Chinese, Buddhish
hill tribes Muslim
and Cham Other
Muslims Unspecifie
d

Ethnic Group
 Khmer 90% Other: Vietnamese, Chinese, hill
tribes and Cham Muslims
Political System

Multiparty Democracy under a Constitutional Democracy

Executive Branch:
 King Sihamoni- Head of State
 Prime Minister Hun Sen- Head of Government
 10 Deputy Prime Ministers
 16 Senior Ministers
 26 Ministers
 206 Secretaries of State
 205 Undersecretaries of State

Political Stability
  French protection in 1863
 Japanese occupation in World War II
 Cambodia gained full independence from France in 1953
 Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh in 1975
 December 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the
countryside
 1991 Paris Peace Accords mandated democratic elections and a ceasefire
 Elections in 1998 led to the coalition government and renewed political
stability

Political Ramifications
Corruptions
 Law enforcement agencies
 Very poorly paid government
workers
 Inefficient sectors
 Lacking the independence
 Ineffective investigation
 Weak systems of check &
balance
 Scarce opportunities for public
participation
Social Demographics
 Education
 Free public education
 Lack of suitable teaching materials
 Shortage of qualified teacher staff
 Literacy rate of 2.1 GDP in 2011
 Healthcare
 Unmet health system
 Medical doctors not well educated
 Lack of Human rights
 Thousands with no medical care

 Social Challenges
 Lack of Human right
 Violence against children
 Sexual abuse violence
 Sex trafficking

Right, Rules, and Regulations

Best Business Practices

 Schedule Meeting ahead of time
 Be punctual
 Avoid asking personal questions
 Respect the elder/one in higher status
 Men and women never touch
 Greeting: put your hands together at chest height and bow the head saying
‘susaday’ (good day’)
  Address your Cambodian counterparts with the honorific title “Lok” for a
man and “Lok Srey” for a woman followed by their first and last name

Cambodia Customs

 Open to FDI
 China, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, U.S

 Regulations (New)
 Human Rights Watch (Migrant domestic workers)

THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IN CAMBODIA

In Cambodia, an education system has been in place since at least from the

thirteenth century on. Traditionally, Cambodian education took place in the Wats

(Buddhist monasteries) and was offered exclusively to the male population. The

education involved basic literature, the foundation of religion and skills for daily life

like carpentry, artistry, craftwork, constructing, playing instruments etc.

This ‘traditional’ education was gradually changed when Cambodia was a French

colony (1863-1953). The French introduced a formal education system influenced by

a Western educational model, which was developed through the independence

period (1960s), alongside with the traditional education. During the following civil

wars, the education system suffered a chronic crisis and was completely destroyed

during the Red Khmer regime (1970s). Between 1980s and 1990s, education was

reconstructed from almost ‘nothing’ and has been gradually developed until now.

Presently, after its reform in 1996, the formal educational structure of Cambodia is formulated in
6+3+3. This means, 12 years for the completion of general education that divides up into six years
for primary education (grade 1 to 6) and six years for secondary general education (grade 7 to 12).
Secondary education consists of three years each for lower secondary education (grade 7 to 9)
and upper secondary education (grade 10 to 12). This formulation does not include at least one
year for pre-school education (kindergarten) for children from 3 to below 6 years old and
university education of 4 to 5 years.

Two other components of Cambodian educational structure involve non-formal

education providing all children, youth, adult, disabled people with literacy and

access to life skills. The other component is teacher training education. This allows

students that successfully completed grade 12 or grade 9 to pursue teacher

certificates at provincial teacher training colleges (for primary school teachers) or

regional teacher training centers (for lower secondary school teachers).

Currently, the educational system is run by the Cambodian state, but private

education exists at all levels and is run by private sectors. Most private schools

offering pre-school education and general education have been operated by the

communities of ethnic and religious minority including Chinese, Muslim, French,

English and Vietnamese. Private higher education is accessible mainly in the capital

of the country, but it is also available throughout the provinces of Cambodia.

Cambodian general education is based on a national school curriculum that consists

of two main parts: basic education and upper secondary education. Basic education

curriculum is divided into three cycles of three years each. The first cycle (grade 1-3)

consists of 27-30 lessons per week lasting 40 minutes which are allocated to the five

main subjects:

• Khmer (13 lessons)

• Maths (7 lessons)
• Science & Social Studies including Arts (3 lessons)

• Physical and Health Education (2 lessons) and local life skills program (2-5 lessons)

The second cycle (grade 4-6) comprises of the same number of lessons but is slightly

different:

• Khmer (10 for grade 4 and 8 for grade 5-6)

• Maths (6 for grade 4-6)

• Science (3 for grade 4 and 4 for grade 5-6)

• Social Studies including arts (4 for grade 4 and 5 for grade 5-6)

• Physical and Health Education (2 for grade 4-6)

• Local life skills program (2-5 for grade 4-6).

The third cycle (grade 7-9) consists of 32-35 lessons which are allocated for 7 major

subjects:

• Khmer

• Maths

• Social Studies and Science (6 lesson respectively)

• Foreign languages (4 lessons)

• Physical & Health Education and Sports (2 lessons)

• Local life skills program (2-5 lessons)

Upper Secondary Education curriculum consists of two different phases. The

curriculum for the first phase (grade 10) is identical to the third cycle of primary

education (see above). The second phase (grade 11-12) has two main components:

Compulsory and Electives. Compulsory involves four major subjects with different

numbers of lesson allocated per week: Khmer literature (6 lessons), Physical & Health

Education and Sports (2 lessons), Foreign language: English or French (must choose

one, 4 lessons each) and Mathematics: Basic or Advance (must choose one, 4 or 8
lesson respectively). Electives include three major subjects covering four or five sub-

subjects with four lessons allocated per week for each one (students may choose one

or two or three of them):

• Science: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Earth and Environmental Studies

• Social Studies: Moral/Civics, History, Geography, Economics

• EVEP: ICT/Technology, Accounting Business Management, Local Vocational

Technical Subject, Tourism and Arts Education and other subjects

For those choosing Basic Maths or Advance Maths must choose four sub-subjects or

three subjects respectively from the electives.

Education in Cambodia is controlled by the state through the Ministry of Education in a national
level and by the Department of Education at the provincial level. The Constitution of
Cambodia establishes that the state shall protect and upgrade citizen's rights to quality education
at all levels, guaranteeing that all citizens have equal opportunity to earn a living (Article 66). The
state shall adopt an education program "according to the principle of modern pedagogy including
technology and foreign languages," as well as the state controls public and private schools and
classrooms at all levels (Article 67). The Cambodian education system includes pre-
school, primary, general secondary, higher education and non-formal education.[3] The education
system includes the development of sport, information
technology education, research development and technical education. School enrollment has
increased during the 2000s in Cambodia. USAID data shows that in 2011 primary enrollment
reached 96% of the child population, lower secondary school 34% and upper secondary 21%.
Traditional Buddhist education

Before the 20th century, traditional education in Cambodia was handled by the local wat, and
the Bhikkhu were the teachers. The students were almost entirely boys, and the education was
limited to memorizing Buddhist chants in Pali.

During the period of the French protectorate, an educational system based on the French
model was inaugurated alongside the traditional system. Initially, the French neglected education
in Cambodia. Only seven high school students graduated in 1931, and only 50,000 to 600,000
children were enrolled in primary school in 1936. In the year immediately following
independence, the number of students rapidly increased. Vickery suggests that education of any
kind was considered an "absolute good" by all Cambodians and that this attitude eventually
created a large group of unemployed or underemployed graduates by the late 1960s.

The French model

From the early 20th century until 1975, the system of mass education operated on the French
model. The education system was divided into primary, secondary, higher, and specialized levels.
Public education was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, which exercised full
control over the system; it established syllabi, hired and paid teachers, provided supplies, and
inspected schools. An inspector of primary education, who had considerable authority, was
assigned to each province. Cultural committees under the Ministry of Education were responsible
for "enriching the Cambodian language."

Primary education, divided into two cycles of three years each, was carried out in state- and
temple-run schools. Successful completion of a final state examination led to the award of a
certificate after each cycle. The primary education curriculum consisted of arithmetic, history,
ethics, civics, drafting, geography, hygiene, language, and science. In addition, the curriculum
included physical education and manual work. French language instruction began in the second
year. Khmer was the language of instruction in the first cycle, but French was used in the second
cycle and thereafter. By the early 1970s, Khmer was used more widely in primary education. In
the 1980s, primary school ran from the first to the fourth grade. Theoretically one primary school
served each village.

Secondary education also was divided into two cycles: one of four years taught at a college,
followed by one of three years taught at a lycée. Upon completion of the first cycle, students
could take a state examination. Successful candidates received a secondary diploma. Upon
completion of the first two years of the second cycle, students could take a state examination for
the first baccalaureate and, following their final year, they could take a similar examination for the
second baccalaureate. The Cambodian secondary curriculum was similar to that found in France.
Beginning in 1967, the last three years of secondary school were split up into three sections
according to major subjects—letters, mathematics and technology; agriculture; and biology. In
the late 1960s and the early 1970s, the country emphasized a technical education. In the PRK
(People's Republic of Kampuchea), secondary education was reduced to six years.

Higher education lagged well behind primary and secondary education, until the late 1950s. The
only facility in the country for higher education before the 1960s was the National Institute of
Legal, Political, and Economic Studies, which trained civil servants. In the late 1950s, it had about
250 students. Wealthy Cambodians and those who had government scholarships sought
university-level education abroad. Students attended schools in France, but after independence
increasing numbers enrolled at universities in the United States, Canada, China, the Soviet Union,
and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).

By 1970 universities with a total enrollment of nearly 9,000 students served Cambodia. The
largest, the University of Phnom Penh, had nearly 4,570 male and more than 730 female students
in eight departments—letters and humanities, science and technology, law and economics,
medicine, pharmacy, commercial science, teacher training, and higher teacher training.
Universities operated in the provinces of Kampong Cham, Takev, Battambang. In Phnom Penh,
the University of Agricultural Sciences and the University of Fine Arts offered training. The
increased fighting following the 1970 coup closed the three provincial universities.
Destruction of the education system by the Khmer Rouge

During the Khmer Rouge regime, education was dealt a severe setback, and the great strides
made in literacy and in education during the two decades following independence were
obliterated systematically. Schools were closed. Educated people and teachers were subjected to,
at the least, suspicion and harsh treatment and, at the worst, execution. At the beginning of the
1970s, more than 20,000 teachers lived in Cambodia; only about 5,000 of the teachers remained
10 years later. Soviet sources report that 90 percent of teachers were killed under the Khmer
Rouge regime. Only 50 of the 725 university instructors, 207 of the 2,300 secondary school
teachers, and 2,717 of the 21,311 primary school teachers survived. The meager educational fare
was centered on precepts of the Khmer revolution; young people were rigidly indoctrinated, but
literacy was neglected. An entire generation of Cambodian children grew up illiterate.

After the Khmer Rouge were driven from power, the education system had to be re-created from
almost nothing. Illiteracy had climbed to more than 40 percent, and most young people under the
age of 14 lacked any basic education.[5]

Development of the current system

Education began making a slow comeback, following the establishment of the People's Republic
of Kampuchea. In 1986 the following main institutions of higher education were reported in the
PRK:

 the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy (reopened in 1980 with a six-year course of study)

 the Chamcar Daung Faculty of Agriculture (opened in 1985)

 the Kampuchea-USSR Friendship Technical Institute (now Institute of Technology of

Cambodia (ITC)) (which includes technical and engineering curricula)

 the Institute of Languages (Vietnamese, German, Russian, and Spanish are taught)
 the Institute of Commerce, the Center for Pedagogical Education (formed in 1979)

 the Normal Advanced School

 the School of Fine Arts.

Writing about the education system under the PRK, Vickery states, "Both the government and the
people have demonstrated enthusiasm for education ... The list of subjects covered is little
different from that of prewar years. There is perhaps more time devoted to Khmer language and
literature than before the war and, until the 1984-85 school year, at least, no foreign language
instruction." He notes that the secondary school syllabus calls for four hours of foreign language
instruction per week in Russian, German, or Vietnamese but that there were no teachers
available.[5]

Martin describes the education system in the PRK as based very closely on the Vietnamese model,
pointing out that even the terms for primary and secondary education have been changed into
direct translations of the Vietnamese terms. Under the PRK regime, according to Martin, the
primary cycle had four instead of six classes, the first level of secondary education had three
instead of four classes, and the second level of secondary education had three classes. Martin
writes that not every young person could go to school because schooling in towns and in the
countryside required enrollment fees. Civil servants paid (in 1987) 25 riels per month to send a
child to school, and others paid up to 150 riels per month. According to Martin, "Access to tertiary
studies [was] reserved for children whose parents work[ed] for the regime and [had]
demonstrated proof of their loyalty to the regime." She writes that, from the primary level on, the
contents of all textbooks except for alphabet books were politically oriented and dealt "more
specifically with Vietnam." From the beginning of the secondary cycle, Vietnamese language
study was compulsory.

Buddhist education

Before the French organized a Western-style education system, the Buddhist wat, with monks as
teachers, provided the only formal education in Cambodia. The monks traditionally regarded their
main education function as the teaching of Buddhist doctrine and history and the importance of
gaining merit. Other subjects were regarded as secondary. At the wat schools, boys—girls were
not allowed to study in these institutions—were taught to read and to write Khmer, and they
were instructed in the rudiments of Buddhism.[5]

In 1933 a secondary school system for novice monks was created in the Buddhist religious system.
Many wat schools had so-called Pali schools that provided three years of elementary education
from which the student could compete for entrance into the Buddhist lycées. Graduates of these
lycées could sit for the entrance examination to the Buddhist University in Phnom Penh. The
curriculum of the Buddhist schools consisted of the study of Pali, Buddhist doctrine, and Khmer,
along with mathematics, Cambodian history and geography, science, hygiene, civics, and
agriculture. Buddhist instruction was under the authority of the Ministry of Religion. [5]

Nearly 600 Buddhist primary schools, with an enrollment of more than 10,000 novices and with
800 monks as instructors, existed in 1962. The Preah Suramarit Buddhist Lycée—a four-year
institution in Phnom Penh founded in 1955—included courses in Pali, in Sanskrit, and in Khmer, as
well as in many modern disciplines. In 1962 the student body numbered 680. The school's
graduates could continue their studies in the Preah Sihanouk Raj Buddhist University created in
1959. The university offered three cycles of instruction; the doctoral degree was awarded after
successful completion of the third cycle. In 1962 there were 107 students enrolled in the Buddhist
University. By the 1969-70 academic year, more than 27,000 students were attending Buddhist
religious elementary schools, 1,328 students were at Buddhist lycées, and 176 students were
enrolled at the Buddhist University.[5]

The Buddhist Institute was a research institution formed in 1930 from the Royal Library. The
institute contained a library, record and photograph collections, and a museum. Several
commissions were part of the institute. A folklore commission published collections of Cambodian
folktales, a Tripitaka Commission completed a translation of the Buddhist canon into Khmer, and a
dictionary commission produced a definitive two-volume dictionary of Khmer.[5]

Private education

For a portion of the urban population in Cambodia, private education was important in the years
before the communist takeover. Some private schools were operated by ethnic or religious
minorities—Chinese, Vietnamese, European, Roman Catholic, and Muslim—so that children could
study their own language, culture, or religion. Other schools provided education to indigenous
children who could not gain admission to a public school. Attendance at some of the private
schools, especially those in Phnom Penh, conferred a certain amount of prestige on the student
and on the student's family.[5]

The private education system included Chinese-language schools, Vietnamese-language (often

Roman Catholic) schools, French-language schools, English-language schools, and Khmer-
language schools. Enrollment in private primary schools rose from 32,000 in the early 1960s to
about 53,500 in 1970, although enrollment in private secondary schools dropped from about
19,000 to fewer than 8,700 for the same period. In 1962 there were 195 Chinese schools, 40
Khmer schools, 15 Vietnamese schools, and 14 French schools operating in Cambodia. Private
secondary education was represented by several high schools, notably the Lycée Descartes in
Phnom Penh.[5]

All of the Vietnamese schools in Phnom Penh and some of the Chinese schools there were closed
by government decree in 1970.[5]

There has been a reemergence of private schools in Phnom Penh. Organizations from Turkey and
the U.S. operate private schools and charities. Zaman International operates two elementary and
high schools, and A New Day Cambodia pays for the housing and education of 100 students of
different ages.

Several non-governmental organization dedicated to education provides this service oriented to

unprivileged communities in rural areas, street children, children infected by HIV, handicap
children and youth and other groups. Some organizations specialized in technical
education offered to young people after high school completion and as an alternative to
university. In 2012 Don Bosco Cambodia engaged 1,463 students to technical programs in
provinces,[6] but there are public and private technical schools like the National Technical Training
Institute, the Phnom Penh Poly Technical School and many others.
Early childhood care and education (ECCE)

Cambodia has a population of about 14 million, with around 1.5 million children below 5 years.
[7]
In 2007, when our study was conducted, it had an under-5 mortality of 91 and a high rate (37
per cent) of stunting.[8] By 2010, the under-5 mortality rate had decreased to 58, but there still is a
high rate of moderate to severe stunting (40 per cent in 2006-2010) in Cambodia. [7] In 2005-2006,
the enrollment rate in ECCE for 3-5 year olds in Cambodia was about 12 per cent overall, [9] and for
5- to 6-year-olds, it was 27.27 per cent (state pre-schools 21.23 per cent; private pre-schools 1.43
per cent; community pre-schools 3.96 per cent and home-based programmes 0.84 per cent).
More recent gures indicate that in 2009-2010, the enrolment rate of 3- to 5-year-olds was 20 per
cent and that it was 38 per cent for 5-year-olds. [10] The Cambodian government would like to give
priority for ECCE to children from poor and remote backgrounds, but it does not have the funds to
increase state pre-school provision or increase the national budget for ECCE. [11]

There are three main types of pre-school programmes in Cambodia: state pre-schools, community
pre-schools and home-based programmes. State pre-school teachers have the highest academic
and professional qualifications, having completed a 2-year full-time teacher-training course after
Grade 12, and receive a government salary. Not surprisingly, state pre-schools cost more than
other programmes. They operate a 3-hour programme, five days a week during the 38-week
school year. Instruction is provided in a proper classroom with a roof, posters with curriculum-
related materials are displayed on the walls and toilets and running water are available. Children
have access to paper, pencils, books and toys.[12][13][14][11]

In community pre-schools, educational experiences for 3 to 5-year-olds are provided by a member

of the village who has typically received 10 days of initial training and who participates in
refresher training courses for 3 to 6 days a year. The programme operates for two hours a day, 5
days a week, for 24 to 36 weeks a year. Community pre-school teachers receive a stipend each
month for their work, and this is expected to be met by the village. Most classes are held under
teachers’ houses and there are health and safety issues when this is the case. Further, parents
tend to send all their children, including those less than 3 years of age, to the community pre-
school, making the job of the teachers very difficult. [14][13][12][11]
Home-based programmes are offered through mothers’ groups formed in villages. Again, the
government expects each village to provide funding and resources through the local commune
council. The groups are facilitated by a ‘core’ mother in the village who has generally received a 2-
day training course in the use of the programme materials. Typically, the groups meet early in the
morning before women go to work in the fields. Home-based programme materials include advice
on nutrition, general well-being and developmental stages.[14][13][12][11]

Current challenges

Resources

Cambodia allocated around 9% of its annual budget into education to improve its quality.
However, 83% of the funds are allocated to servicing remunerations and operation expenses,
which might suggest rent seeking in the process. That leaves little funds for schools’ facilities
maintenance and to provide proper teaching materials like computers and internet. [15]

There is insufficient staff in schools, with 58,776 teachers teaching 2,311,107 primary school
students and only 27,240 teachers teaching 637,629 lower secondary students. The teacher-pupil
ratio is thus very high and might result in inefficiency. In addition, over 60% of the primary and
secondary school teachers received at most secondary education, which thus compromises the
quality of education.[16]

A severe scarcity of schools and classrooms, particularly in the rural areas, limit the number of
children who have access to education. Most Cambodian villages have a primary school, but they
are not complete and do not offer a full 1-6 grade curriculum. Cambodian children face greater
difficulty in the pursuit of a higher level of education, [17] because secondary schools are in less
than 10% of the villages. Only 5.4% of Cambodian villages have a lower secondary school and only
2% of them have an upper secondary school.[18]

Students can only pursue higher education if they can afford the fees. Therefore, further
education becomes inaccessible to the bulk of potential pupils. The percentage of population in
each group attending an educational institution is shown in Table 1, indicating that only
approximately 14.37% of the population can afford to pursue tertiary education:[19]
Table 1

<6 6-14 15-19 20-24 25+

28.91% 80.19% 51.83% 14.37% 1.20%

Provincial/Municipal Offices

Provincial/Municipal Offices of Education (POE) are responsible for supporting the ministry in
implementing educational policies, preparing and submitting plans for further development of
education, providing data and statistics of schools.[20] However, there is a lack of congruence
between research and policy, making linked possibly to the inadequacy of budget and research
facilities that exemplifies the weakness in analytical research and development for its education
system.[20] As a result, there is a significant gap between policy formation, implementation and
monitoring in the education system that does not target the specific problems that the educators
and children face.

Gender disparity

Although the literacy rate and the number of girls graduating from primary school in Cambodia
are increasing, the number of girls who drop out from secondary education is much higher than
the number of boys. In 2008, the ratio of girls to boys in upper secondary is 75% and only 50% in
tertiary education.[21][22] This disparity can be partly attributed to the higher opportunity cost of
sending girls to school as there will be one less helping hand to earn an extra income. The trade-
off between school participation and economic activity increases as the child gets older and this
trend is particularly prevalent among girls. [23] In 2008, 23% of young women were illiterate
compared to 16% of men.[21]
Low participation

Actual education levels of the Cambodian population (2007) with those of an ideally educated
society as defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO)

In 2007, while around 90 per cent of children completed primary education, only 35 per cent
completed lower-secondary education and only 15 per cent progressed to upper-secondary
education and beyond. This left around 3.1 million youngsters, or 85 per cent of 15–24-year-olds,
not receiving any advanced schooling. The situation is even worse when it comes to technical and
vocational training, where the number of enrolled students aged between 14 and 20 barely
accounts for 2 per cent of this population segment. This results in a very high percentage of the
Cambodian labour force lacking any formal trades qualifications. It should also be noted that the
vast majority of university students come from wealthy families living in the cities, whereas the
majority of basic-level technicians come from low-income families.

Dropout rates

Statistically, from 2005 to 2009, primary school enrolment rates for males and females were at 90
and 87 percent respectively while the attendance levels are at 84 and 86 percent of the students
heading to school. This suggests that not all the children in Cambodia are able to consistently
attend the school’s curriculum due to possibly financial reasons, health care issues and even
transportation costs. In addition, there are disparities between the perceived data to that of the
official administrative data rendering the primary school graduation rates. By survey, 92 percent
of the children should have completed primary education until the final grade. On the other hand,
formal school’s administrative data suggests that only a mere 43 percent has completed primary
education. The disparity in the data arises due to the means whereby a child can receive
education in Cambodia, formal, non-formal and informal.

Lack of awareness

It was established at the World Summit in Johannesburg that education plays a pivotal role in
achieving a nation’s sustainable development. The lack of awareness for the need of education
for sustainable development (ERS) is significantly apparent in Cambodia amidst the financial
poverty it faces. The priorities for the nation’s children dwell mainly as a contributor to the
family’s finances and not the establishment of their education.

Tertiary education

In 2011, Cambodia has tertiary enrollment rate of 10%, which is low when compared with other
nations.

Cambodia's higher education lacks world recognition and is not acknowledged by QS World
University Rankings.

Furthermore, there is inadequate communication between schools and corporations. This thus
hinders the necessary adjustment of the curriculum to equip the students with skills to meet the
demand of the labour market. Graduates find difficulty integrating into the workforce.

Higher education institutions are mainly in major cities. Hence, students have to bear the cost of
transport and living expenses in addition to their school fees. Furthermore, those who manage to
find alternative places to live in are facing the risk of being drawn into an increasingly rampant
drug culture or being coerced into prostitution.

Rankings by the World Economic Forum (compiled 2013-2014 but using available data) place
Cambodia 116th out of 148 nations, behind Thailand (66th), Vietnam (95th) and neighboring Laos
(111th).

Poverty hindering education

Given that the poverty line in the rural areas of Cambodia is set at US$0.25 per person per daily
consumption, 53.7% of the population in Siem Reaps is living below the poverty line. [31] Due to
poverty, children in Cambodia are forced to give up education to work and supplement the
family’s income. The opportunity cost of sending their children to school are very high in some
families, making it almost impossible for the children to receive education. Based on the data
from International Labour Organization, close to 20% of children ages 5–9 are employed. The
figures then rise to 47% for children between ages 10-14 and 34% for ages 15–17. Among the
number of working children of ages 5 to 17, only 45% have the chance to attend school.

Non-economic productive activities such as housework tend to start earlier than economic
activities, although less intensively, causing children in Cambodia to be performing ‘double-duty’
— they are involved in housework and economic activity, leaving them little or no time to go to
school. Non-economic activities add an average of eight hours per week to the work burden of
the economically active children, leading to an average weekly working hours to almost 31.
Having children to work before going to school can affect their literacy and numeracy test scores,
by nine percentage points after accounting for the differences in school quality. This shows that
work affects school enrolment and ability of children to derive educational benefit from
schooling.

A 2007 report by the Cambodian NGO Education Partnership (NEP) suggested that education costs
for each child averaged $108 annually — 9 percent of the average annual income of each family.
Clearly, in a nation where having four or five children is very common, the education costs
become very significant.

The NEP study found that these fees were the main reason given for children not attending school
and that a quarter of parents were unaware that their children had a right to free education.

Teachers

Teachers in Cambodia earn US$0.00 to US$0.01 a month. They resort to collecting informal school
fees of $0.02 to $0.05 per day from students to supplement their salaries. This is for teachers in
the city only, and it is spreading to some of the provincial ones. This further deters children from
attending schools as they cannot afford to pay for the informal school fees. With an average of
three children per household in Cambodia, the informal school fees will add up to a significant
amount, making it almost impossible for parents to send their children to school. Though there
are efforts by the Cambodia government to promise free provision of education, the collection of
informal school fees is a huge deterrence for children to attend school.

Due to the shortage of teachers in Cambodia, teachers employed often lack proper training and
have a high student-teacher ratio. This has led to poor quality of education and high grade-repeat
rates among students. From the data, in Siem Reap province, 12% of primary school students
failed to be promoted to the next grade level at the end of the 2006-07 school year. Most teachers
in Cambodia, especially those in the more remote areas, had not completed their secondary
education. With a fast-growing youth population, if teachers are required to possess a certain
minimum qualification, the problem of teacher shortage will be more severe.

Lack of resources

Due to a lack of resources and minimum government funding for schools, there is a shortage of
teaching material and school facilities. According to UNESCO, merely 1.6% of Cambodia's GDP
(gross domestic product) is spent on education. Even though the Cambodian government
promises to provide $1.50-$1.75 per student per year to each primary school for teaching
materials and operating costs, the sum is often insufficient to cover the basic operational cost of
the schools. Teachers often have to use their own money to buy items like chalk.

Corruption in education

Due to corruption in most parts of Cambodia’s institutions, the education institution is not spared.
Although there is an increasing awareness of the importance of education which directly
correlates with employability, citizens are merely attending schools for the sake of obtaining
paper qualifications. There is no great impetus to learn and to increase one’s productivity. The
quality of education in Cambodia remains doubtful and not all citizens are capable of undertaking
tasks that their paper qualifications state they are capable of.

Passing rates at schools are ill-represented due to bribery and the skewed level of difficulty of
tests handed out in schools. On top of this, the Ministry of Education has to decrease the average
passing scores to increase the passing rates of students or the unemployment rate in the country
will be higher than reported.
Relation with the development of nation

The low 40% enrollment rate at secondary level and 5% at tertiary level has caused the majority
of Cambodian population not being able to converse in English, which is the common language
used in the commercial industries.

Bill Hayden, Australian’s foreign minister said in 1983 that ‘the only way for Australia to help
Cambodia in the reconstruction is to help them to learn English’, so that they can request for aid,
access modern technology and the commercial world, as well as share knowledge to help
Cambodia develop. Failing to educate women can also lead to an economic cost of US$92 billion
worldwide each year, thus suggesting that educating more women in Cambodia would lead to
more economic gains.

The role of NGOs

There is a significant presence in Cambodia of schools built and continuously funded by overseas
supporters and of education support NGOs that assist with training, resources and funding. The
[37]
role of these NGOs is significant to the extent that the Minister of MOEYS is on public record as
saying that the input of these NGOs is an integral part of the education strategy and that without
the NGOs the government would be unable to reach its education targets.

The relationship between MOEYS and the NGO sector is integral to the 2010 Education Strategic
Plan which stated as an objective:

Expand public/NGO/ community partnerships in formal and non-formal education in border,

remote and disadvantaged areas as well as increase support for the provision of local life skills
and vocational training and basic/required professional skills responsive to the needs of the social
and labor market.

In 2012 and 2013 the MOEYS rolled out a registration process designed to integrate NGOs into the
overall education framework and to ensure NGOs meet standards in teaching quality, physical
environment and governance. Registration provides a means for some government leverage or
control over this sector, as well a clearer means of gathering relevant statistical information.
The role of education-related NGOs is likely to become more closely entwined with MOEYS over
time.

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CIA. (2010, March 18). Cambodia-The world Fact book. Retrieved May 5, 2012, from
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world- factbook/geos/cb.html

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Retrieved May 14, 2012, from http://www.seasite.niu.edu/crossroads

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Cambodia