The Role of Student in Cambodia

In Cambodia, all children have obligation to go to school. Beginning from the age of six, all children can go to an elementary school. After taking six years to complete an elementary course, they jump up to a secondary school for a period of three years, and then, continue to a high school for another three years. Even though some students are from different religions, including Islam, Buddhist, and Christianity, they are equal to go to school. For example, if a child who is Muslim, he or she is also considered to be right to go to school like a Buddhist child does. It is not so serious matter between Muslims, Buddhist, and Christian people to take action in education system.

Usually, from elementary to high school, it is divided into two period of studying time. There are the morning class and the afternoon class. Each of the class takes four hours and all students can take different lessons each hour. However, subjects like mathematics or literacy are more difficult, so they have about six hours per week. But for some subjects like geography or history, they have about two hours a week. English and French are compulsory for secondary students. After reaching a secondary school, all students can choose between English and French. If a student chose to study English, he or she has to continue it until finishing high school by studying English as a foreign language. However, If a student chose French, he or she cannot study another different language besides French.

In the city, the majority of students are able to pursue their study up to high school, but some students cannot continue it because of financial problem, violent in family, or society's effect. Especially, the students in rural area are hardly keep on studying when they have various difficulties such as helping their parents work on farm, having not enough school to go to, or the lack of local teachers. Even though children want to go to school, they cannot. They have responsibility for their role to go to school, but they are forced to take it away by surrounding effect. This is a serious problem in which the government has to deal with. According to Educational Project Team Report, the Cambodian government has plan to encourage all students to continue their study at least to secondary school. The goal is 95% of enrollment students in secondary school at the year 2015.

Besides student's role, parents have an obligation to sent their children to school and give them support, both financial and spiritual factors. Parents are the most important people to take responsibility for paying school fee. If they ignore it, student must not be able to go to school. However, in exceptional case, some students can go to school without paying for an entrance fee or anything else when they are so poor, or their parents passed away. Most parents pay the school fee, but surprisingly some parents compel their children to work at their young age without going to school. This problem is still happening even recent time.