Cambodia will delay its schools opening and high school graduation exams until the end of the year as a way to prevent a second wave of the coronavirus, as per the country’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.
Cambodia’s Education, Youth and Sports Minister, Hang Chuon Naron, stated that schools could resume operations only if they can adhere to the highest standards for covid-19 prevention and control.
According to a presser at the construction of the “Centre for Digital and Distance Education” at Preah Sisowath High School, Minister Hang said that at least 3 million Cambodian students have no access to online lessons.
Schools in Cambodia have been closed since early March when the country recorded its first coronavirus case.
Parents whose children study at several international schools in the country have been outraged over the fees for the incoming academic year and registration fees for students who have been studying at the same school for almost ten years.
According to a parent who participated in a protest decrying the unjustifiable school fees:
“If my daughter is a new entrant to the school, I can understand the registration fee. But not a repeated registration fee every year at the end of each academic year. This is daylight robbery. The amount may be negligible at USD250 (7,700 baht) per year but multiple it by ten years, and it is a significant amount.”
To date, Cambodia has only recorded 130 cases of covid-19, with 127 recoveries, and no deaths.
On the other hand, schools in Thailand are slated to open on July 1st.
Source: Khmer Times
