Cambodian exam rates soar with new approach

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A school enrollment campaign tractor featuring a Plan placard takes the education message directly into rural villages.

Child-friendly approach delivers soaring exam pass rates

Education is a basic human right and fundamental to the fight for human dignity and freedom but for 72 million children and 774 million adults, that right is violated everyday.

Plan is committed to educating children — not only through building schools, but by encouraging parents to let their children attend classes instead of working, giving girls an education, training teachers and providing materials.

In Cambodia, Plan's persistence has paid off — school exam pass rates have leaped from 5% to 97% over the last 2 years in Dambae district thanks to Plan’s child-friendly education programs.

Before Plan’s work, too few schools, poorly trained teachers and uninspiring learning environments contributed to low student motivation and high drop out rates.

Plan worked closely with children, families and communities to identify needs and solutions, and supported the construction of eight primary schools and two libraries in the district. The new buildings benefit more than 2,000 children and provide access to safe drinking water, latrines and areas in which to play.

Child-friendly classrooms

In collaboration with KAPE (Kampuchean Action for Primary Education), Plan trained 40 primary school teachers to improve teaching quality, motivation and morale. Teachers learned new ways to make their classrooms child-friendly — such as abandoning corporal punishment and allowing children to sit in groups, instead of the traditional row formation.

Teachers were also introduced to a ‘student centered’ teaching approach, which encourages children to do more study and explore on their own through small surveys, group discussion and group presentations — helping them to socialize and build a team spirit.

School enrollment campaign

Attendance at the new schools is being boosted thanks to Plan-facilitated school enrollment campaign groups which travel directly into villages and urge families to send their children to school.

The groups (comprising students, parents, teachers, Buddhist monks and community councilors) have posted child-friendly billboards throughout the village to promote the school term.

“I have 10 brothers and sisters, but only my elder sister and I can go to school because before we didn’t have a school here. Plan built it. I want all children to come to school like me so that they can learn to read too,” said 11-year-old Samnang, one of the education campaigners.

Learn more about Plan's work in Cambodia.