The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport is implementing the Education Strategic Plan (ESP) 2024-2028, a blueprint to transform the country’s educational landscape with an ambitious focus on inclusivity, quality and innovation. 

The plan, driven by phase one of the seventh-mandate government’s “Pentagonal Strategy” and the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) on education, outlines broad-reaching reforms designed to elevate the education sector's role in achieving Cambodia’s long-term socio-economic goals.

“The Education Strategic Plan for 2024-2028 has been crafted to transform the reforms outlined in the first phase of the Pentagon Strategy, education sector reform and Cambodia Sustainable Development Goal 4-Education into practical programmes,” Hang Chuon Naron, Minister of Education, Youth, and Sports noted in the preface. 

“This plan will guide organisations at all levels, including education institutions, towards high performance with responsibility and accountability,” he added.

Chuon Naron emphasised the government's commitment to placing people at the forefront, particularly through the “enhancement of quality of education, sports, science and technology”. 

This approach, he explained, is embedded within the ministry’s newly outlined eight priorities. 

“We are committed to strengthening school governance and reviewing our curriculum to ensure it fosters not only knowledge but also discipline, morality and positive behaviour,” he stated. 

Key initiatives include promoting digital education, establishing Centres of Excellence in higher education and encouraging a strong partnership with parents, guardians and the wider community. 

“Our goal is to create an education system that supports health, capacity building and excellence across disciplines, including physical education and sports,” Naron added, underscoring the government’s holistic vision for the nation’s educational advancement.

A decade of progress

Cambodia’s education sector has undergone major reforms over the past ten years, with the ministry leading the charge. 

Sisowath New Generation School students showcased their innovative automation at the Student Achievement Fair in 2023. Hong Raksmey

Beginning in 2014, the government prioritised educational access, governance reform, teacher development and equitable learning opportunities across the country. 

Since then, achievements have included improving school infrastructure, revising curricula and boosting teacher salaries and training standards.

“These achievements encompass enhancing access to quality, equitable and inclusive education across all levels, fortifying governance within educational institutions, prioritising teachers and addressing the learning losses during the Covid-19 pandemic,” Chuon Naron noted. 

“The ministry has refined strategies to boost the quality and responsiveness of education services,” he continued.

The report also notes a decline in enrolment rates across certain age groups due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which disrupted schooling worldwide. 

For Cambodia, the setback was particularly pronounced in early childhood education, where enrolment rates dropped below pre-pandemic levels.

The dropout rates have been a significant concern across different levels of education in Cambodia, although dropout rates in primary education have generally decreased over the years. The dropout rate dropped from 8.3% in 2013-2014 to 7.5% in 2022-2023.

However, it varied by gender; for males, it gradually decreased from 9.4% in 2013-2014 to 5.5% in 2022-2023, while for females, the rate reduced from 7.2% in 2013-2014 to 5.7% in 2021-2022, but then increased again to 9.5% in 2022-2023.

The dropout rate at the lower secondary level saw improvements over the last decade but rose again in recent years. 

In 2013-2014, the dropout rate was 21.2% overall (with male dropout at 16.6% and female dropout at 20.9%). By 2017-2018, the rate decreased to 15.4%, but it later increased to 18.2% in 2022-2023 (with male dropout at 19.2% and female dropout at 17.2%)​.

Prioritising inclusive and equitable access

The ESP 2024-2028 renews the ministry’s commitment to inclusive education, ensuring that every Cambodian child, from early childhood to higher education, has equitable access to learning opportunities. 

By prioritising early childhood education, the ministry aims to boost enrolment rates for children aged 3-5, a group whose enrolment had increased from 33.4% in 2013-2014 to 37.1% by 2022-2023.

“Our vision is to bring learning to every Cambodian child,” said Chuon Naron, adding, “The ministry has condensed the priorities of the education sector into a single policy priority focused on ensuring all Cambodians have access to quality, equitable and inclusive education enriched with knowledge, skills, discipline, ethics, good behaviour, health, fitness and lifelong learning”.

This commitment is especially critical as Cambodia faces a rapidly urbanising population, although rural areas still home to over 60% of its people. 

According to the ministry, the ongoing shift of families to urban centres has created imbalances in school resources, particularly in Phnom Penh, where classroom overcrowding has become an acute issue. 

To address this, the ESP emphasises infrastructure development and aims to increase the number of well-equipped schools in growing urban and suburban areas.

The ESP also extends its reach to vulnerable groups, including indigenous children and those affected by climate-related challenges. 

“Efforts are underway to expand multilingual education for indigenous students in northeastern regions – 19 cities and districts, where over 130 preschools currently offer these programmes,” according to the plan.

Sisowath New Generation School students explored a range of STEM subjects, including robotics at the Student Achievement Fair in 2023. Hong Raksmey

Raising the bar for educational quality and teacher training

The ESP underscores quality education as fundamental to Cambodia’s future. In primary education, net enrolment rates have rebounded since the pandemic, reaching 95.8% in 2022-2023. 

However, the ministry acknowledged that enrolment alone does not translate to educational outcomes. 

The survival rate of students through primary school has declined from 79.9% in 2017-2018 to 69.5% in 2022-2023, particularly among female students, a trend the government aims to reverse with targeted support.

“The rate for female students declined sharply, from 83.5% in 2017-2018 to 60.4% in 2022-2023 whereas the survival rate for male students increased from 76.5% to 80.3% over this period,” explained the plan. 

Teacher training is central to this reform. Since 2014, the MoEYS has revamped teacher training institutes, raising qualifications standards to a “12+4” format, whereby future teachers’ complete grade 12 and a four-year bachelor’s degree programme. 

“By 2022-2023, nearly 85% of primary school teachers had attained the new qualifications, compared to only 73% five years earlier,” according to the plan. 

The ESP also highlights ongoing efforts to integrate digital skills into teaching and learning, with the aim of creating digitally literate students prepared to enter a tech-driven economy.

Elevating STEM and higher education

For Cambodia’s secondary and higher education, the focus is on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and technical skills. 

The ESP recognises the importance of these fields in a fast-evolving global economy and pledges to increase enrolment in STEM programmes. 

“While the share of students in STEM majors at the university level has risen from 19.6% in 2013-2014 to 31.2% in 2022-2023, female representation remains disproportionately low,” the plan noted, with men consistently more likely to pursue STEM fields. 

This gender gap has widened, with men being over 2.5 times more likely to enrol in STEM programmes than women in recent years​.

The gross enrolment rate in higher education rose from 9.9% in 2013-2014 to 17.9% in 2022-2023. The enrolment rate for females was notably higher than for males in 2022-2023, showing progress in gender equality at this level. 

“However, disparities persist in graduate-level programs, where male students make up nearly 90% of those undertaking doctoral studies​,” according to the plan. 

The ministry has established Centres of Excellence to enhance teaching, learning, and research capacities. 

Additionally, the ESP outlines strategies to expand digital education through the Cyber University Network, aiming to improve access and integrate digital technology across academic programmes, which is expected to benefit 737 students in digital technology majors in 2023, with a target to increase to 937 by 2028​.

The ministry also offers domestic and international scholarships, with 7,533 domestic scholarship students and 387 international scholarship recipients in higher education as of 2023. 

It has also become a member of the Asian International Mobility for Students (AIMS) programme, which facilitates exchange opportunities in Southeast Asian countries​.

The enrolment rate for female students was notably higher than for males in 2022-2023, showing progress in gender equality at this level. Post Staff

Digital education and lifelong learning for all

The ministry aims to transform community learning centres into “Lifelong Learning Centres”, expanding non-formal education programs to reach out-of-school children, youth and illiterate adults. 

By 2028, the target is to have 33 LLLCs established, from only 4 in 2023. These centers will provide a range of learning options, including literacy, life skills and income-generating programmes​.

“Efforts will be made to expand life skills and vocational training programs, with a target to increase the number of participants in lifelong learning (LLL) training from 10,239 in 2023 to 13,000 by 2028,” according to the plan.

Additionally, cooperation with factories and other local businesses will support the practical application of skills learned through these programmes​.

The ministry plans to further integrate digital skills training into non-formal education, providing digital content and online learning opportunities. 

This involves updating digital infrastructure, including Learning Management Systems (LMS) and digital teaching tools, to enhance learning accessibility and outcomes​.