Reflection on Compulsory Education in Cambodia

Han Kyeol Kim, Education Unit

Analyzing Compulsory Education in Cambodia compared to South Korea, to figure out possible
resolution for educational development

If I had to choose one of the funniest, most fruitful and enjoyable moments in my life, I would
choose my childhood time. Particularly it would be my primary and lower-secondary education
that allowed me to broaden my knowledge, develop my value and attitude and especially explore
my personal interest in life. This early educational experiences reminded me of how important
compulsory education is in building a foundation for everyone to grow as a person, to get access
to equal opportunities, to become a responsible citizen, to have a dream, and to pursue higher
education later. Despite my positive personal experience, my two-month internship at the
Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI) has been an eye-opening experience for me to
learn about many things, one of which related to the poor conditions of Cambodian education. For
this reason, I would now like to compare Cambodian and South Korean compulsory education
systems.

Based on Article 68 on the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia, the state shall ensure for all
citizens free primary and secondary education at public schools, with nine years of compulsory
education (Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia 2015). Primary education spans for six years
from the ages of 6 to 11, and lower-secondary education for three years from the ages of 12 to 14.
In reality, however, enrollment of primary school was about 94.5 percent, and of lower-secondary
school about 53.3 percentalmost 40 percent gap between the two levels (Ministry of Education,
Youth and Sports 2007). The following table offers a comparative overview of Cambodian and
Korean primary and lower-secondary education, in terms of the number of teachers, students,
schools, and student-teacher ratio.
 Cambodia South Korea Efficiency

Number of Teachers 72,085 293,915 3C=K

Number of Students 2,012,175 4,302,720 2C=K

Number of Schools
8,725 9,197 Similar (472 difference)
(Primary + L/S)

Student-teacher ratio 27.9:1 14.6:1 <

Teacher-school ratio 8.26:1 31.95:1 <<

Student-school ratio 230:1 468:1 >>

(Table 1.1) (Park 2015)

A study by the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI) shows that there are three
barriers to the implementation of compulsory education in Cambodia: educational environment,
financial resources, and social-cultural factor. First, there are not enough schools particularly in
the countryside. There are limited resources to support girls and the disabled. Also, while general
education is free in principle, there are informal fees, like private tutoring and other expenses on
uniforms, textbooks, lesson handouts, and payments to teachers for various purposes. Child labor
is another problem, since the children cannot attend school when they have to work at a very young
age (UNDP 2014). Social-cultural barriers include traditions, norms and perceptions toward
women, the disabled, and minority groups. De-motivation from teachers and educational isolation
have worsened the situation. Overall, the above three barriers are the main factors hindering
Cambodias progress toward achieving compulsory education.

When I was young, I had opportunities to focus on studying what I wanted. Like my friends, I
stayed almost half a day at school. None of us had to work until upper-secondary school. By
comparison, I have observed during my two month internship at CDRI that many young
Cambodian kids did not attend school, but instead spending time helping with their parents
business, including selling foods on the street: What a waste of their potentials, talent and dream!
Education is not only the matter of learning or studying. It is an enlightenment for the
development of individuals, and their communities to which they are dedicating themselves. In
this knowledge based society, education is inherently linked to a countrys development of
economy, culture, and social standards. Personal growth and mature individuals can make a better
living environment, and of course, a better world.
References

Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia. 2015. Consitutition of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Constitution Council of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
http://www.ccc.gov.kh/english/basic_text/ConstitutionoftheKingdomofCambodia.pdf.
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. 2007. Education Law. Kingdom of Cambodia.
http://www.moeys.gov.kh/images/moeys/laws-and-regulations/48/EducationLaw-EN.pdf.
. 2014. Education Strategic Plan 2014-2018. Kingdom of Cambodia.
http://www.moeys.gov.kh/images/moeys/policies-and-strategies/559-en.pdf.
Park, Heejin. 2015.
. KEDI, Seoul.
https://www.kdevelopedia.org/mnt/idas/asset/2016/06/03/DOC/SRC/0420160603014483
6018679.PDF.
Royal Government of Cambodia. 2014. National Strategic Development Plan 2014-2018.
Kingdom of Cambodia. http://cdc-crdb.gov.kh/cdc/documents/NSDP_2014-2018.pdf.
UNDP. 2014. Curbing Private Tutoring and Informal Fee in Cambodia Basic Education.
United Nations Development Programme. www.kh.undp.org.