Reality of low literacy rate in Cambodia

Reality Of And How To Improve The Situation Of

Educational policy-makers, planners, administrators and practitioners have long held the opinion that the literacy is a prerequisite for individual as well as the society. The world data on life expectancy, infant mortality and gross national product (GNP) bear this out. This paper is aiming at addressing reality of and recommending on how to improve the situation of the low literacy rate in Cambodia.

After 30 years of war and civil unrest, which decimated Cambodian population and destroyed the country’s infrastructure, including the education system, the Cambodia has low levels of literacy and high levels of poverty. With a GNP of only US$ 285 per person, Cambodia is one of the least developed countries in the region. It is estimated that 38 percent of the country’s households live under the poverty line. According to the 1999 Human Development Report put out by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Cambodia ranks 137 out of 174 countries in terms of its human development. Cambodians, on average, only attend school for three and half years. Government budgets for education are signif

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Despite the concerted effort of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS) to collect reliable data on literacy levels, it is scanty. This should also be linked to the Dakar Framework for Action, adopted at the World Education Forum in April 2000. For the study, literacy was conceived to include life skills, or functional literacy. The vicious circle of low adult literacy, high population growth (2. It appears that illiterates and those living below the poverty line are largely the same group of people. Government should direct the literacy program towards the most disadvantage groups, namely the totally-illiterates and the semi-literate, especially minorities, and females among them. 4 percent per annum), low primary school enrollment, high repetition and dropout rates and low per capita income is far from being broken.

-Cambodia and ASEAN present and future perspectives, written by Senior Minister Keat Chhun, ministry of economy and finance

-Cambodian Development Research Institute report 2000

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. Rates for females in these groups were even higher. Past assessments were limited to questions such as “Can you read?”; “Can you write?”; “Can you perform simple mathematical computations?”; “Yes” or “No” were the only possible!

answers. Within 15 years, beginning from 2000, commit sufficient funds and other resources to literacy in the second five-year National Socio-Economic Development Plan (2001-2005).

Approximate Word count = 1700
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

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