US armed forces help to build school in Siem Reap

Tin Sokhavuth



The groundbreaking ceremony of a primary school in Svay Chek Village, Siem Reap province, took place on Tuesday in the presence of representatives from the US Embassy in Cambodia and from the Cambodian government. The construction of the school is funded by the US government, and the school is being built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in close cooperation with local and provincial authorities.

According to the embassy, the estimated cost of the construction of the school is about $551,000, and was planned to be completed in early 2018. The school will comprise ten classrooms allowing around 400 students to enroll in school.

The Embassy added that through its Humanitarian Assistance Program, the US military has constructed a number of schools, a blood bank, and other infrastructure improvements across Cambodia. "Since 2015 alone, the program has spent $2 million on 20 completed projects," wrote the embassy.

In the past, over forty Cambodian officials participated in training funded by the US government. Besides training, there were also various exchanges in the field of military law, military medical, and public affairs.

Concerning Cambodian education system, the Cambodian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) has given a high priority to "equitable access for high quality basic education services."

As a result, the MoEYS has been developing, in cooperation with many development partners, a strategic plan in order to maintain and reform the existing Cambodian education system. The plan is called “Education Strategic Plan 2014-2018,” or ESP.

The ESP is focusing on early childhood education, the expansion of the access to quality secondary and post-secondary education and non-formal education, and technical and vocational education. For marginalized children and youth, specific measures will be used to give them equal access to education.

As for the Asian Development Bank, the construction of new schools, the provision of scholarships, the abolition of informal school fees and the expansion of community-based early learning opportunities are the keys to success in the field of access to basic education.