Secondary and General Education Improvement

Since 2014, a series of transformative educational projects have been underway in Cambodia, part of a slow but sustained period of educational reform. CSC member Will Brehm played a crucial role in these initiatives from 2015 to 2019, collaborating with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, the World Bank and the Royal University of Phnom Penh.

The Secondary Education Improvement Project (SEIP) aimed to improve the quality of education by focusing on assessment, autonomy, and accountability policy reforms with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports in Cambodia. These reforms were designed partly through the qualitative research conducted by Will Brehm.

The project was expanded into the General Education Improvement Project (GEIP) and began to also focus on teachers, culture and early childhood education.

SEIP worked in 100 lower-secondary schools, including 30 newly established schools. Direct beneficiaries included 6,175 students. The scope was expanded under GEIP, which targeted over 1500 schools from preschool to secondary. In 2024, the reform was again expanded to include 80 percent of all early childhood schools (293 schools), 30 percent of primary schools (over 2000 schools), and 50 percent of secondary schools (920 schools). It is the largest educational reform in post-conflict Cambodia.

In May 2024, the World Bank approved an additional US$79.5 million to boost education quality and access in Cambodia, extending the General Education Improvement Project.

As part of this project, 76 new buildings were constructed, with 395 classrooms. In addition, some 437 classrooms were renovated, 276 laboratories installed, and 30 houses for teachers at remote schools were constructed.