Cambodia launches national campaigns to prevent school dropouts

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Youth and Sport Hang Chuon Naron said the campaigns aim to strengthen early childhood care and development, promote inclusive learning, and address the factors that lead children to leave school prematurely.

Cambodia's Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, supported by UNICEF, launches two nationwide public campaigns to tackle persistent lower secondary school dropout rates and ensure that every child has access to inclusive, quality education. (Photo: UNICEF)
Cambodia's Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, supported by UNICEF, launches two nationwide public campaigns to tackle persistent lower secondary school dropout rates and ensure that every child has access to inclusive, quality education. (Photo: UNICEF)

Phnom Penh (VNA) – The Cambodian Government has launched two nationwide campaigns aimed at ensuring that all children have access to education, as the 2025–2026 academic year is set to begin in November.

The campaigns, titled “Caring Parents, Smart Kids” and “Your Choice, Your Future,” seek to provide every child, from early childhood to adolescence, with the opportunity to receive inclusive and quality education.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Youth and Sport Hang Chuon Naron said the campaigns aim to strengthen early childhood care and development, promote inclusive learning, and address the factors that lead children to leave school prematurely.

In 2023, there were approximately 3 million school-age children in Cambodia. Out of these 3 million, around 300,000 children and adolescents were out of school. By 2024, dropout rates remained stubbornly high, with 15.5% of students leaving school at the lower secondary level./.

VNA

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