The Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports is currently in talks with the World Bank (WB) to collaborate on the forthcoming “Basic Education Project 2025-2030,” which aims to enhance the educational sector in the kingdom. The discussions were led by Deputy Prime Minister Hang Choun Naron, Minister of Education, Youth, and Sports, alongside Tania Meyer, the World Bank's Country Manager for Cambodia, and Cristian Aedo, the World Bank's Practice Manager for Education in the East Asia and Pacific Region.
The ministry announced that the discussions centered on evaluating the challenges and priorities in enhancing the educational sector. The talks considered strategic actions to improve student learning outcomes and strengthen teachers' skills. The project is designed to modernize teacher training institutions, programs, tools, and facilities to deliver high-quality training for educators. Additionally, it aims to enhance student learning outcomes, implement school reforms, and promote digital education.
It is also designed to contribute to improving governance by strengthening financial management, strengthening the quality of the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS), and supporting the implementation of action plans and policies on teachers.
During the meeting, Naron highlighted the strengthened collaboration with the World Bank and expressed his gratitude for its continued partnership with the Cambodian government, particularly in the educational sector, which has played a vital role in developing the country's human resources. He emphasized key recommendations to enhance the quality of basic education, including extending study hours from half to a full day, enhancing teachers' skills, improving students' nutrition, and fostering greater involvement from parents, guardians, the community, and other key stakeholders.
Khuon Vicheka, Education Ministry spokeswoman, said that the project is in the review stage, in which research is being conducted to find indicators to direct the specifics of the project. “Our team is preparing and conducting research before the basic education project can be officially established”, said Vicheka.
She noted that the Ministry and World Bank have worked together previously, and closely cooperated on various projects to support the educational system in Cambodia in the sectors of secondary education, general education, as well as higher education improvement projects. “This new education project would be implemented following the lines of our previous projects with the World Bank”, she added.
“Our current project is a general education improvement project that aims to turn all the schools into model schools, and to improve the quality of education and equitable access to general education in the target areas”. According to Vicheka, the general education project is targeted for 213 kindergartens, 1,000 primary schools, and 435 secondary schools. “As a result of the previous successful projects, we hope that the new project will be fulfilled if we reach an agreement, allowing us to launch it officially soon”, she said.
