ADB: Extends $ 27.1m Grant to Enhance Secondary Education In Camboia

The Asian Development Bank"(ADB) is extending a $27.1 million grant to help improve the quality of secondary education in Cambodia through institutional reforms, teacher training and improving facilities.

The project is estimated to cost $33.38 million. The government of Cambodia will cover the balance.

"The government has made enhancing the quality of education a high priority to make the education system more efficient and to improve academic achievements. It also recognizes that investments in secondary education are needed to meet the growing demand for a well-educated and skilled work force," said Sukhdeep Brar, principal education specialist of ADB's Southeast Asia Department.

The project involves enhancing the capacity of the government's Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport in planning, managing, administering and regulating the education system of the country. The current education system comprises primary, which is from grades one to six; lower secondary, which is from grades seven to nine; and upper secondary, which comprises grades 10-12. Basic education covers grades one to nine. Entry to upper secondary level is regulated by a national examination at the end of grade nine.

Teacher training colleges will also be provided with better facilities under the project, while some 14,400 lower and upper secondary teachers will benefit from in-service training. Around 300 upper secondary schools will also be assisted in school management, networking and improvement planning. The project will also provide 350,000 upper secondary students with new textbooks and 7,000 upper secondary teachers with teachers' guides.

Expansion of education in Cambodia has been fueled by the government's commitment and extensive support from development partners like ADS. However, the overall quality and efficiency of education remains a serious concern. Low enrolment rates at the secondary level and low percentage of students completing school indicate there are large numbers of young people outside the school system who may be unskilled and unemployable.

Within the education system, schools have poor physical infrastructure and inadequate learning materials, laboratories and libraries. Teachers are also poorly qualified and unmotivated. Limited resources hamper the ability of the government to make improvements and the poor performance of the education system wastes whatever limited resources are available.

"The project will help the government achieve its goal of poverty reduction and economic development by enhancing the quality of education. Given the rapidly expanding national economy and the global trends in demand for education at all levels, the education sector in Cambodia will continue to experience rapid growth and exert pressure on the government's management capacity," said Ms. Brar.

Cambodia is experiencing rapid economic expansion. In 2006, gross domestic product growth was estimated at 10.4%, fueled by strong industrial production, services and construction activity. Agricultural production expanded by a stronger-than ­expected 4.4%. The economic growth trend is expected to persist in the medium term.

A rapidly growing urban economy coupled with the continuing dominance of agriculture as the country's primary employer creates a dual challenge for the government in meeting the emerging demand for a qualified, skilled and competitive work force while bridging disparities in access to education and meeting its goals of universal primary education.

For Cambodian girls, education is antidote to poverty and sexual exploitation

Many female school children in Cambodia, have reason to smile again. Thanks to OPTIONS, a program run by World Education with financial support from UNICEF and the United States Department of Labor.

OPTIONS scholarships enable girls at risk of dropping out to remain in primary and lower secondary school. In poor provinces like Prey Veng, where many families are forced to migrate to escape the impact of persistent floods and drought, the scholarships also help protect girls from being trafficked or sexually exploited .

"With an estimated 30 per cent of sex workers in Cambodia under 18 years of age, having less than three years of basic schooling and little or no vocational skills, the link between the lack of education and vulnerability is clear."

Out-of-school girls aged 8-12 can attend catch up courses that help them reifltegrate in the formal system after one year, and for those over 12, there are basic and functional literacy courses and apprenticeships with local employers, such as tailors or other artisans.

The Cambodian government is committed to education reform and developed a National Education for All Plan 2003­2015 to provide the long-term vision. In addition to World Education, a number of local and international organizations are working to ensure Cambodian girls an education and to protect them from exploitation.

As a result, enrolment rates for primary school topped 90 per cent in 2004 and the gender gap decreased from 8 per cent in 2000 to less than 3 per cent in 2004. But more needs to be done to keep children, especially girls, in school beyond Grade 6.

"Poverty is the main reason that keeps girls out of school in Cambodia," said Kimsroeung of World Education, "but we also need to overcome other obstacles. Including the traditional perception that girls don't need higher education beyond Grade 6 or 9."

Basic education and gender equality by UNICEF Child-friendly schools

A child-friendly school actively identifies excluded children and gets them enrolled in school. It regards education as every child's right and helps to monitor the rights and well-being of every child in the community.

A child friendly school acts in the interests of the "whole" child, which includes his or her health, nutrition and overall well­being. It cares about what happens to children in their families and communities before they enter school and after they leave it.

A child-friendly school reflects a quality environment. It:

• Promotes good quality teaching and learning processes.

This includes individualized instruction appropriate to each child and active, cooperative and democratic learning methods.

These schools are hygienic and safe from drugs, corporal punishment and harassment. It is equipped with adequate water and sanitation and provides health services such as nutritional supplementation and counseling. It also provides life skills-based education, promotes both the physical and the psycho-socio­emotional health of teachers and students, helps defend and protect all children from abuse and harm, provides a positive experience for children.

They are also gender-sensitive. It:

Child-centered, promoting child participation in all aspects of school life.

Family-focused, working to strengthen families as the child's primary caregivers and educators and to help children, parents, and teachers establish harmonious relationships.

Community-based, encouraging local partnership in education, acting in the community for the sake of children and working with other actors to ensure the fulfillment of children's rights.

A number of countries have adopted this approach to improve the quality of education. In Pakistan, government has identified 2,000 schools that will be transformed using child­friendly methodologies. In China, Mongolia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vanuatu, child-friendly approaches have been adopted with limited geographic coverage. Although successful, the countries have so far been unsuccessful in expanding the approach nationwide.

Ministry of Education's Role

The Ministry of Education Youth and Sport is mandated to ensure development of an effective human resource base through providing and enabling education opportunities for all Cambodian people in order to increase economic growth, enhance living conditions and enable a well-trained and educated workforce. The National Poverty Reduction Strategy (NPRS) and Socio-Economic Development Plan II (SEDP) highlight that education development is a key enabling factor in income generation and job creation. These plans, alongside the longer term Cambodia Development Plan 2020 (COP) reaffirm that a well-educated and trained workforce can assist in attracting foreign inward investment. This Education Strategic Plan (ESP) for the period 2004/08 is designed as a further step in putting in place the necessary human resources and infra-structure.

The successful implementation of the "Triangular Strategy" of the Royal Government of Cambodia has enabled sustained security and social stability, through accelerated implementation of development and sector reforms, including education. In particular, The Royal Government has set itself the target of reducing the number of poor people in Cambodia by 50% by 2015. In addition, Cambodia is part of international and regional Government, donor and NGO alliances designed to achieve agreed Millennium Development Goals (MDG) for universal primary education and gender equity by 2015. The Government national Education for All (EFA) plan sets more ambitious targets of universal access to nine years of high quality basic education by 2015, consistent with the EFA Fast-Track Initiative (FTI). The policy and strategy measures propose in ESP 2004/08 are designed to accelerate movement towards achieving these MDG and EFA goals and targets.

It is recognized that a deepening and diversification of Cambodia's human resource base is a key factor in improving Cambodia's regional and international competitiveness in an increasingly global economy. Currently, a key challenge is to supply high quality and trainable graduates from secondary schools, universities and technical/vocational institutions. A second constraint is the limited capacity to offer further education and training opportunities for the large number of un-employed and under-educated young people. A growing consideration is the uncertainty and fluidity of labour market and job prospects as the economy adjusts to Cambodia's recent entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO).

This ESP 2004/08 proposes further policy and strategy measures to build on the successful growing partnership between the public and private sector in expanding higher education and technical/vocational training opportunities. Additional measures are proposed to improve the responsiveness of education and training institutions to social and labour market requirements, while assuring access to students from poorer families.

The Ministry of Education Youth and Sport is mandated to ensure development of an effective human resource base through providing and enabling education opportunities for all Cambodian people in order to increase economic growth, enhance living conditions and enable a well-trained and educated workforce. The National Poverty Reduction Strategy (NPRS) and Socio-Economic Development Plan II (SEDP) highlight that education development is a key enabling factor in income generation and job creation. These plans, alongside the longer term Cambodia Development Plan 2020 (CDP) reaffirm that a well-educated and trained workforce can assist in attracting foreign inward investment. This Education Strategic Plan (ESP) for the period 2004/08 is designed as a further step in putting in place the necessary human resources and infra-structure.

The successful implementation of the "Triangular Strategy" of the Royal Government of Cambodia has enabled sustained security and social stability, through accelerated implementation of development and sector reforms, including education. In particular, The Royal Government has set itself the target of reducing the number of poor people in Cambodia by 50% by 2015. In addition, Cambodia is part of international and regional Government, donor and NGO alliances designed to achieve agreed Millennium Development Goals (MDG) for universal primary education and gender equity by 2015. The Government national Education for All (EFA) plan sets more ambitious targets of universal access to nine years of high quality basic education by 2015, consistent with the EFA Fast-Track Initiative (FTI). The policy and strategy measures propose in ESP 2004/08 are designed to accelerate movement towards achieving these MDG and EFA goals and targets.

It is recognized that a deepening and diversification of Cambodia's human resource base is a key factor in improving Cambodia's regional and international competitiveness in an increasingly global economy. Currently, a key challenge is to supply high quality and trainable graduates from secondary schools, universities and technical/vocational institutions. A second constraint is the limited capacity to offer further education and training opportunities for the large number of un-employed and under-educated young people. A growing consideration is the uncertainty and fluidity of labour market and job prospects as the economy adjusts to Cambodia's recent entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO).

This ESP 2004/08 proposes further policy and strategy measures to build on the successful growing partnership between the public and private sector in expanding higher education and technical/vocational training opportunities. Additional measures are proposed to improve the responsiveness of education and training institutions to social and labour market requirements, while assuring access to students from poorer families.