23 JULY 2021
For the first time, a detailed action plan to keep children safe at school has been disseminated across Cambodia to reduce the number of drop outs and support children to reach their potential.
Along with a number of partners, Plan International has supported Cambodia’s Ministry of Education Youth and Sport to develop a 5 year action plan to keep children safe at school that will run from from 2019-2023.
The Secretary of State H.E. Nath Bunroeun chaired the dissemination workshop in Phnom Penh which was attended by representatives from the ministry’s capital and provincial departments, education and development agencies and the Cambodia National Council for Children.
Safe schools and equal opportunities
The policy will not only create safe learning environments, but will also promote equal opportunities among children.
Thanking development partners including the Child Rights Foundation, Plan International, Child Fund and UNICEF, the Secretary of State expressed his commitment to ensure an effective rollout of the action plan that will keep children protected and safe in public and private educational settings.
Helping children reach their potential
The Royal Government of Cambodia, in cooperation with development stakeholders, has made a lot of progress to create safe learning environments and supporting legal tools and policies are in place, yet it falls to individuals, especially teachers, to ensure schools are violence-free, said Plan International’s Child Protection Specialist Ty Sovannary.
Some children have great potential but skip classes or even drop out due to fear of verbal or physical abuse from teachers or classmates. The new action plan will therefore support more children to reach their potential.
Education, Protection from violence, Gender-based violence, Safeguarding
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