More than 70 students at a Pursat high school have fainted over the last week, with some officials attributing the incidents to unhappy spirits at the school, whereas health officials said they believed the students were likely caused by minor health issues.
More than a quarter of high school seniors failed their final examinations in results posted across Phnom Penh and Kandal campuses on Thursday.
Parents and local officials are up in arms over a Kampong Chhnang school deputy director’s repeated attempts to threaten and force students to buy snacks from his wife’s stall and not others.
An Education Ministry official warned that students who fell behind during Covid-19 school shutdowns will struggle to catch up to previous generations, though an NGO-led education program showed initial positive results for 2nd and 3rd graders in one Siem Reap district.
Kampot education must build a “culture of gratitude” with a photo of Prime Minister Hun Sen in every classroom and a daily routine of bowing to it and giving thanks for the roofs under which students learn, the provincial governor has said.
Cambodian students are failing at Khmer language and Math at significantly higher rates post-pandemic — with bigger drops for boys and city dwellers — an official survey has found.
Poor students were forced to find work to help their families through the pandemic. Now that schools have reopened, some may never step into a classroom again.
In Cambodia, mental health workers say they’ve seen a spike in adolescents seeking help. Surveys have shown bouts of anxiety and depression among young people. The recent reopening of schools could be a relief, but it might not be an easy transition.
The Education Ministry has announced that schools of all levels will be reopened from November 1 with health precautions remaining in place, expanding on the reopening of high schools last month.
While students were meeting friends and reconnecting, most expressed two major concerns about returning to school: their parents’ reluctance to let them return, and whether they had learned enough in the last year to meet the challenges of a new grade.
VOD is an independent media outlet producing radio programs and disseminating information to the public via the Internet.
© 2019 VOD. All Rights Reserved.
