By:
• Sao Phal Niseiy

• October 31, 2024 , 3:15 PM

PHNOM PENH – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has pledged $80 million in loans to enhance Cambodia’s secondary education.

It aims to boost 21st-century skills for jobs preparation and tackle challenges such as classroom overcrowding. 

The funding will support projects that help instill critical 21st-century” skills such as critical and creative thinking and inclusive teaching for boys and girls.

It also aims to improve access to education, especially for students with learning disabilities, by developing assistive technology and supporting special education secondary schools. 

In the meantime, it also promotes science, technology, engineering, and math subjects which are vital for future workers with skills aligned with industry demands. 

Cambodia has a low net enrollment in upper secondary education, at 35.5 percent. Contributing factors range from inadequate school facilities to poverty, in which boys are usually expected to contribute to their household income. 

Students with special needs face different barriers to quality secondary education. Similarly, teachers need further training to develop students' in-demand skills and competencies effectively. 

The new funding will contribute to tackling these challenges. It will focus on expanding the number of inclusive, climate-resilient school facilities — with an additional 400 classrooms — to address overcrowding and expand access to quality upper-secondary education. 

ADB country director Jyotsana Varma said enhancing secondary education through skills and technological knowledge will be vital for economic growth. The latest investments will contribute to its success.   

“Cambodia needs to accelerate the shift to higher value-added economic activities, especially those driven by technology, to remain globally competitive and consolidate its remarkable economic progress in the recent past,” Varma said. 

She added that Cambodia needs a skilled and educated workforce as a prerequisite for such progress to happen.

“Building on ADB’s investments in education and skills development, this project aims to maximize the potential of Cambodia's young population to drive future economic growth,” she said. 

Heng Kimkong, a researcher in education and co-founder of the Cambodian Education Forum, said the project was crucial in improving secondary education but effective fund management, effective implementation and sustainability were needed for fruitful outcomes. 

“It is vital to emphasize the capacity building of the policymakers and practitioners, ensuring that they can continue to improve the education system after the ADB project,” Kimkong said. 

The country also needed to build an effective monitoring and evaluation system and a support system to ensure all stakeholders are on the ground.

“This will offer support and empower them to own the project and be accountable to the public for utilizing the funding,” he said.