In Cambodia, primary education lasts for 6 years and is compulsory. General secondary education is divided into two cycles: lower secondary, or the second stage of basic education lasting three years and in principle compulsory; and upper secondary education which is not compulsory and lasts another three years. Upon completion of lower secondary education (grade 9), students sit a national examination and if successful, receive the basic education diploma. Students having completed lower secondary education can either continue to upper secondary education or enroll in technical and vocational training programmes. Upon completion of upper secondary education, successful students are awarded a high school diploma (IBE 2011).

Cambodia is currently witnessing an overall increase in enrollment in general education; however, there are still significant urban/rural disparities and at the upper secondary level, the gender gap is increasing by each grade (UNESCO 2010).

Cambodia has seen during the last few decades an increase in net primary school enrolment. It rose from 77.8% in 1997/1998 to 83.8% in 2000/2001 and reached 94.8% in 2009/2010 (IBE 2011). This increase is particularly noticeable among girls in rural areas and children from poor families as a result of the growing number of primary schools built in rural and remote areas (UNESCO 2010).

Although there is an average increase of secondary school enrolment, secondary education in remote and rural areas are facing significant challenges. In 2007/2008, the lower secondary net enrolment rates for remote, urban, and rural areas were 10.1%, 55.0% and 30.4% respectively (UNESCO 2010). Furthermore, in 2009/2010 the net enrolment rates for upper secondary education were as low as 19.4% (IBE 2011), with a contributing factor being the limited number of upper secondary schools in the country. In the same academic year, there were only 383 upper secondary schools, with the gender gap increasing by each grade. In 2007, the dropout rate for grade 12 was 20.9% of total enrolment, with 15.1% for girls (UNESCO 2010).

The EFA assessment in 2000 highlighted the urgency of improving quality and efficiency, and increasing completion rates in Cambodia (UNESCO 2010). In 2008/2009, the dropout rate was approximately 8.3% for primary education and 18.8% for lower secondary education. Furthermore, the students’ survival rate for grades 1-6 was estimated at 61.7% and 37.2% for grade 1-9 (IBE 2011). For upper secondary (grade 10-12) the dropout rates currently increase for each grade and in 2007 the rate was 20.9% of total enrolment, almost two thirds of whom were girls. Some of the main reasons behind the low completion rates are the cost burden, the need for students to work, and a lack of understanding of the importance of formal schooling (UNESCO 2010).

In addition, the quality of teachers and the quality of teacher education and training programmes is of major concern. Currently, about 34.5% of primary school teachers in remote areas, and 6.4% in rural areas, have not studied beyond primary level. This can be attributed to issues such as a lack of coordination of teacher training between stakeholders and the low social and financial status of teachers (UNESCO 2010).

General education in Cambodia is administered by the Department of Primary Education and the Department of General Secondary Education under the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoES 2010). At provincial/district levels, there are 24 Provincial/Municipal Offices of Education and 193 District Offices of Education (DoE). Typically provincial offices are in charge of upper secondary schools, while the district offices supervise lower secondary schools (IBE 2011).

The current Education Strategic Plan 2009-2013 focuses on strengthening quality and efficiency of education at all levels. The main objectives for primary education are to ensure that all school-age children attend and have access to quality primary education and to boost retention. For lower secondary education the objectives are to reduce access barriers for students and to improve the quality and efficiency of educational services in order to increase grade 7-9 survival rate and grade 9-10 transition rates. The program objective for upper secondary education is to assure equitable access to upper secondary education after students have successfully completed lower secondary education, especially in rural and disadvantaged areas (MoES 2010).

In addition, the Child Friendly School Policy from 2007 aims to improve the quality of education by focusing on issues such as access, effective learning, health and safety, gender, community participation and creating an education system encouraging and promoting Child Friendly Schools (CFSs) (MoES 2007). The Primary Education Department is receiving the largest part of the funding, which is being used for school construction, teacher training and textbook provision. Furthermore, there has been an endorsement of an education policy for children with disabilities and action plans are being formulated for trialing the CFS programme in selected lower secondary schools (UNESCO 2010).