The Cambodia Project

The Need

Under the Khmer Rouge, the education system in Cambodia suffered tragically; the academic infrastructure and professional culture were destroyed. An entire generation of educators was murdered during the genocide.

The Cambodian education system is in dire need of programmatic reform and CPI has received endorsements from the Governor of Kep Municipality, H.E. Hash Sareth; the Deputy Director of Education for Kep Municipality, Nguon Hean; and the Director of Education for Takeo Province, Nuth Khon. This need is especially pressing among secondary school children. The Cambodian government, NGOs and UN agencies expend tremendous energy on primary education; yet secondary education, the current link to the country’s economic opportunity and growth, is left aside.

Currently, Cambodia is the 4th poorest country in the world and 131st out of 177 countries on the Human Development Index, which is based on life expectancy figures, level of education, and standard of living (www.hdr.undp.org). Today, only 30% of children and 22% of girls age 12 – 15 are enrolled in secondary school.

School Communities

View our SCHOOL DESIGNS

Initially, The Cambodia Project will work with three separate communities in Cambodia: the first in Kep municipality, the second and third in Takeo and Kandal provinces, respectively. The first school will be strategically located on the Kep/Kampot border in order to allow tuition paid by wealthier families in Kampot to subsidize tuition for those underserved in Kep. The government of Cambodia and the World Food Program recognize the populations in these areas as some of the country’s most vulnerable; specifically, Kep maintains the nation’s lowest test scores. Once these schools have been successfully established, the model will be adapted for replication in other locations in Cambodia and in other developing countries.

- Kep is a small municipality with a population of 28,660, approximately 50% of which are school aged children

- Kampot is a province with a population of 595,000, approximately 30% of which are children of school age

We estimate that within five years, CPI will impact over 100,000 children, teachers and staff, community members in each extended community. The community will indirectly benefit from access to income generating activities within the schools, as well as the presence of a skilled and educated youth population.

Teachers and school administrators working full-time at CPI schools will directly benefit through professional development opportunities, a safe and well-resourced work environment, and consistent and equitable pay. Government teachers working part-time at CPI schools will furthermore benefit from supplements to their government salaries; likewise, students in the public school system will directly benefit from their improved teaching skills.

The community will evolve from access to income generating activities within the schools, as well as the presence of a skilled and educated youth population. Cambodian society will benefit from CPI’s work through an increase in size of the educated workforce, which will help to attract foreign investment. Donor organizations will gain value from being associated with an innovative model that will build sustainable communities through secondary education in less developed countries.