We’re celebrating teachers in Cambodia!

This World Teachers' Day, 5 October, we’re celebrating all types of teachers in remote Cambodia who are supporting children like 10-year-old Chantey to stay in school and access a quality education.

Through a three-year program, ChildFund Cambodia has worked with local partners to equip teachers and student tutors with the skills to motivate children to learn in a safe and healthy environment.

Chantey had a hard time at school. She said that young girls like her had little access to hygiene facilities and that she was bullied by some of the older students. She reported these incidents to her teachers, but they didn’t take any action and she didn’t feel safe in school.

Then Chantey and her family heard about a new school built by the community with support from ChildFund. She was ready for a change and decided to give the school a go and, in this new setting, she thrived.

“I love my new school’s environment, better teachers, playground, canteen, sport area, more friends and modern library,” she said happily.

Through the project, the community built libraries, ensured access to clean water, provided training to school leadership and increased community engagement.

Training and upskilling teachers has been a significant element of building these community friendly schools. After participating in the training, Manich, a first-grade teacher, said “as I am a newly graduated teacher, the project trained me in many different teaching techniques, including fun techniques, how to measure students’ progress, and how to identify the level of reading capabilities of students and how to help them regardless of what level they are at.”

This education project focusses on setting these schools up for long-term success. This means developing student councils as a youth leadership program to support school management and teachers to improve their schools and support students who are struggling with the curriculum.

Sopheaney, 13-years-old, is the President of Wat Cheng primary school's student council. She tutors the younger students when her teacher is busy and says she was “delighted to share knowledge with younger students.” Sopheaney is one of the 27 young tutors who works to help her peers keep up with the curriculum. 

“She teaches me very well and I enjoy studying with her since we are like sisters,” said Vimean, an 8-year-old student Sopheaney tutors.

Whether it’s a student tutor or a trained teacher, teachers are the backbone of the school system and can inspire their students to undertake higher education. To date, ChildFund Cambodia has supported 250,000 children to stay in school through the COVID-19 pandemic.

This project is supported by the Australian Government through the  Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).