Ko He Primary School in Kampong Cham province has been graced with a water purification tower and a surface sanitation machine, an initiative of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Aimed at promoting students’ and educators’ welfare, the purification equipment was inaugurated on June 2.

This advancement is courtesy of funding from the Coca-Cola Foundation and the Planet Water Foundation. The AquaTower & AquaSan water treatment systems will ensure better health and hygiene at the school located in Prek Koy commune, Kang Meas district.

The unveiling ceremony saw representatives from both foundations, the education sector, students, parents, local officials, with the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, Hang Chuon Naron, in attendance.

Hang Chuon Naron implored teachers and students to look after the water treatment towers. He emphasised the equipment’s significance in contributing to long-term hygiene, a major focus for the ministry.

“The provision of clean water towers to Ko He Primary School is very important to contribute to the development of education, health, and education,” he noted. “Students are clean and healthy, and they are eating clean, drinking clean and living clean.”

The Aquatower from the Planet Water Foundation has a supply capacity exceeding 1,000 litres of safe drinking water per hour. It features a US-manufactured Ultra-Filtration technology filter, six water faucets, three soap faucets, and an AquaSan, a toilet washer powered by solar energy.

In addition to unveiling the water treatment tower, the minister also acknowledged the representatives of the Coca-Cola Foundation with a certificate of appreciation and participated in a tree planting exercise aimed at improving the school environment.

During the same ceremony, the minister also celebrated the awarding of work medals to 2,063 educators of Kampong Cham Provincial Department of Education, Youth and Sport, with awards spanning gold, silver and bronze categories.

In his address, Chuon Naron extolled the efforts of the education staff at all levels in Kampong Cham province for their successful implementation of the four stages of education reform.

Deputy Governor of Kampong Cham province, Heng Vanny, declined to comment on the development, and representatives of the Department of Education, Youth and Sport could not be reached for comment on June 4, 2023.

In March, the education ministry inaugurated the “Health Room in Educational Institutions” and “Mobile App for Youth” at Hun Sen Khchao High School, Kang Meas district, supported by United Nations Population Fund and funded by the government of Japan.