Principles and General Objectives of Education

Providing education opportunities to all Cambodian children is central to the Royal Government's poverty reduction and socio-economic development plans. The main goal is to develop an inclusive, easily accessible and high quality service which is available to all, independent of wealth, gender, ethnicity and mental and physical aptitude. The vision of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports includes an understanding of the critical need for education and training systems to enable economic growth, improved employment prospects and income-generating opportunities. The vision also incorporates a fundamental understanding that quality education can contribute to better family health and nutrition, improved family planning and a well-entrenched democratic system.

The overall objective of the education system is to help children develop mental and physical qualities. In order to achieve this objective, schools need to accomplish many tasks. Schools are obliged to develop in the students the spirit of self-confidence, self-reliance, responsibility, solidarity, national unity and patriotism. Schools must also instil in their students an attitude of respect towards the law and human rights.

Other responsibilities of schools are to nurture children to become good citizens, to live together peacefully, to be able to strengthen their responsibilities towards their families' happiness and to make a contribution to promoting social welfare. General education strives to meet the above-mentioned overall objective by delivering knowledge and skills, promoting the personal qualities of the students, and accumulating work experiences and various activities which are beneficial to students, their schoolmates and to society as a whole.