Dith Nita, head of the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia (UYFC) branch in Phnom Penh, encouraged the capital’s kindergartens to enter an environmental competition by making sure their rubbish is disposed of properly. This would contribute to making sure their campuses are positive places where students could relax and focus on learning.

Nita, the wife of environment minister Say Samal, led a team from the Phnom Penh Municipal Hall to a January 27 meeting with several kindergarten teachers.

“A clean environment is important, and encourages children to learn,” she said.

She complimented and thanked all the teachers at the meeting for their patience, hard work and dedication to ensuring that young children have the opportunity to learn.

She said kindergarten teaches kids to work together and get along, some of the most important social skills they would ever acquire. In addition, kindergarten is where they begin to learn the basics of language and several other core academic subjects, like mathematics.

“This provides the foundation for a lifetime of learning,” she added.

“In addition to these life skills and the basic core knowledge they earned from attending class, kindergarten also gives young children’s parents a chance to continue to build their careers. Without a safe place for their children to spend their days, a child’s mother or father would be forced to stay home and would be unable to go to work.