UN Analysis Final.pdf - United Nations in Cambodia

There are an estimated 7.6 primary schools for every secondary school. However, there appears to be a slow
and steady increase in the availability of secondary schools (World Bank 2006). Compared with 1998, when 32
of Cambodia’s 183 districts did not have a lower secondary school and 81 did not have an upper secondary
school, in 2004, only 14 districts were still without a lower secondary school and 45 districts lacked an upper
secondary school (Figure 4-2).
Some poor, especially female, youths still miss out and are illiterate, mostly in rural and remote areas:
CSES 2004 indicates that Cambodia has high illiteracy rates among young people aged 15-24 (Figure 4-3).
Additionally, evidence from the field study suggests that vulnerable youths are much more likely to be
over-aged or late entrants to secondary school, due to factors including child labour or malnutrition
(for example, in Ratanakiri and Poipet). Box 4.4 shows that the Education Sector Support Programme (ESSP)
has a policy to achieve equitable access to education and enhance enrolment rates.
While the attention paid to formal education has appeared to have impact on reducing illiteracy, informal
educational opportunities, such as those targeting adults and out-of-school youth, are also worthy of
additional attention. There remains the significant challenge of creating gender balance in education.
Parents in Svay Rieng, Siem Reap, Poipet and Sihanoukville, for instance, reported that while they would
like to send both their sons and daughters to school, they prefered to send sons, since their daughters
were needed at home to perform chores.
Complementing the findings of a FIGURE 4-2. NUMBER OF SCHOOLS BUILT FROM 1999 TO 2005
previous CDRI poverty study, the present
field research found that investment
70000
in girls’ education could yield some of
the highest returns of any investment,
such as fostering more young female
60000
50000
participation in development and
welfare, and reducing some of the most 40000
pernicious effects of poverty. The World
Bank Equity Report (2007b) also notes
that educated girls and women are more
likely to send their children to school
and to keep them there longer, and
30000
20000
10000
are more receptive to the adoption of
environmentally friendly technology. 0
1999-00 2002-03 2004-05
Primary Low er Secondary Higher Secondary
Situation Analysis of Youth in Cambodia
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