Education Situation

There are 3 primary schools in Chamcar Bei (Chamcar Bei, Tomakari and Chamcar Svay), a result of the large and spread-out nature of the village geography. The schools were built near population centers so that children could easily to attend primary school. Our assessment found three major problems with regard to the education situation in Chamcar Bei:

1) Current schools are inadequate: Chamcar Svay primary school, which was built to accommodate the students who live in the Phnom Voar mountains, only serves grades 1-4.  For these students who wish to attend grades 5-6, it can mean up to a 10 kilometer commute. 

This long commute discourages a significant number of students from advancing to grades 5-6, particularly for children who do not have bicycles.   The distance of the Pong Teuk lower secondary school is also a major barrier for students who wish to advance beyond primary school, and the distance of Kep’s only upper secondary school is prohibitive for most students who do not live near Kep town to attend.  The schools also lack many basic teaching resources, such as white boards and markers and adequate desks and chairs.  Some also do not have clean drinking water or latrines.   

2) Teachers are often absent and show little commitment: Teachers do not spend enough time teaching and the quality of their lessons is poor.  They are often absent from school or they come for a short time and then leave.  While parents and local authorities report that primary and lower secondary school teachers in Damnak Chang Eur district do not charge the unofficial school fees that are common throughout Cambodia, teachers appear to be compensating for their extremely low salaries instead by seeking work elsewhere and not fulfilling their teaching time requirements.   This has a very negative impact on students, who will not show a strong commitment to education if their teachers demonstrate little commitment.

3) Parents do not have a strong commitment to education:  While there are definitely exceptions, Bridges staffs have observed that parents in Chamcar Bei generally do not have a strong commitment to education and do not encourage their children to attend school.  This may be a social and cultural legacy of the Khmer Rouge background of many parents (who did not attend school themselves).  It is also a common attribute of the poverty trap.  Common reasons cited for students dropping out of school were getting married, leaving to earn an income outside the village, helping with house and farm work, and caring for siblings.   The immediate opportunity cost of sending children to school once they are old enough to help the family earn an income is often too high for families who are living hand to mouth.  The long-term opportunity cost of not emphasizing child education is often not considered because of the urgency of immediate needs.

Click here to download Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) Assessment

Click here to download Three Year Operational Plan 2007-2009

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