History Of Education in Cambodia

To understand the state of education in Cambodia today, it’s necessary to know something about its history. Traditionally, education was available only in the Buddhist temples. This excluded women, and because instruction was given by the bonzes (young, novice monks) it was mostly limited to learning Buddhist chants.

From 1863 Cambodia was a French ‘protectorate’ (colony). In 1917 the French colonial government passed a law instituting a school system that was based on the French system. There was both a primary and a secondary school system, but enrolment in the schools wasn’t available to most people – just the elites. Participation was so low that only seven students graduated high school in 1931.

The French left Cambodia in 1953, and soon after a universal system of education was established in Cambodia, again based on the French model. The school systems were expanded to cover more of the country, and higher education facilities such as vocational schools and universities were built. Cambodia education enjoyed a brief flourishing in this period, and by the late 1960s there were many educated graduates.

Unfortunately, this progress was halted by the civil war in 1970, and utterly destroyed by the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975-1979. The Khmer Rouge government systematically eradicated education in Cambodia, closing schools and universities, burning books, and killing librarians, teachers, and even people who wore glasses.

Following the defeat of the Khmer Rouge in 1979, the new government had to try to rebuild an education system basically from scratch, and the current state of education in Cambodia is still affected by this.