» Topic List
	4.1 Equitable Access to Education Services
	4.2. Quality and Efficiency of Education Services
	4.3. Institutional Development and Capacity Building for Decentralization
	4.4. Strategies for Addressing Crosscutting Issues

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport recognizes that although there were significant efforts in the last few years, education sector performance could not reach the policy targets set in ESP 2001-05 as well as in ESP 2004-08. In the period of ESP 2006-10 the Ministry commits itself to achieving the existing priority policies, which are consistent with EFA 2003-15, the Cambodia Millennium Development Goals 2015 and the National Strategic Development Plan 2006-2010.

The priority policies in the ESP 2006-10 are as follows: 1) ensuring equitable access to education; 2) increasing quality and efficiency of the education services; and 3) institutional development and capacity building for decentralization.

The second Cambodian Millennium Development Goal is to achieve universal 9 year basic education with the three targets set at 1) ensuring all children complete primary schooling by 2010 and basic schooling by 2015 2) eliminating gender inequality in 9 year basic education by 2010 3) reducing significantly gender inequality and disparity between urban and rural areas in upper secondary education and tertiary education.

Further the Royal Government is committed to achieving the goals of “Education for All” ensuring nine years of basic education for all children. It will expand access to further education to youth from poor families by providing scholarships to students from poor families and constructing school buildings. The focus of these goals is on access to education and this is one of the major challenges for the Royal Government.

Another priority of the ESSP 2006-2010 is to take early and urgent action to expand education and training opportunities for the number of young people aged between 12 and 24 years who currently are school drop-outs or have limited access to post- primary education and training opportunities.

Strategies to achieve the outcome and targets of the Equitable Access policy:

• Expand access to ECE programmes for 5 year olds targeted on those communes with low new admission rates and high repetition rates in primary schools.

• Target: Progress review of effectiveness of ECE strategy in 2008.

• Ensure entry of all 6 year olds into primary school by performing regular population census and by issuing a decree and guidelines for 6 years as age of entry to primary school.

• Target: Decree and guidelines issued for 6 years as age of entry into primary school, linked with expanded ECE for 5 year olds in 2006.
• Target: Impact survey of new decree and implications for ECE strategy in 2010.

• Reduce parental costs barriers (such as informal payments) by increasing operational budgets for schools and teachers’ salaries.

• Target: Abolish informal payments in grade 1-9 nationwide by the end of 2008.
• Target: Regulations and guidelines issued for the management and accounting of any contributions from parents by 2008.
• Target: Review of overall primary and secondary school budget outturns 2006-10 in 2010.

• Reduce repetition and drop-outs levels in all grades , with the priority for improvements in grades 1–6 by improved and more relevant school curriculum, expanded and more effective remedial classes during the school year, alongside periodic and continuous student assessment and standards monitoring.

• Target: Guidelines and action plan issued for grades 3-9 school re-entry programs for school dropouts in 2006.
• Target: Progress review of grades 3-9 re-entry programs in 2008.
• Target: Impact study on re-entry program and implications for future expansion and targeting in 2010.

• Enable Greater Private/Community involvement in all stages of schooling in order to increase understanding of importance of education as well as achieving greater transparency and accountability in the structures.

• Target: Study on the involvement of commune councils and parent committees in school activities in 2008.

• Continued provision of new schoolsor additional facilities to incomplete primary schools as well as locating school facilities closer to home thus reducing direct and opportunity costs for families.

• Target: Facilities development plan for primary schools, including incomplete schools in 2006.
• Target: Progress review of facilities coverage in 2008.
• Target: Impact study of the effectiveness of the facilities development in 2010.

• Increase enrolment of students in grades 7-9 by constructing lower secondary school facilities in currently under-served areas.

• Target: Facilities development plan for grades 7-9 in 2006.
• Target: Progress review on grades 7-9 expansion, including review of targeting criteria, in 2008.
• Target: Impact review on grades 7-9 expansion in 2010.

• Increase enrolment of students in grades 10-12 by constructing upper secondary school facilities in currently under-served areas.

• Target: Facilities development plan for grades 10-12 in 2006.
• Target: Progress review on grades 10-12 expansion, including review of targeting criteria, in 2008.
• Target: Impact review on grades 10-12 expansion in 2010.

• Ensure teacher provision in remote and disadvantaged areas by recruiting teacher trainees from these areas through particular recruitment criteria. Improve the efficiency of staff deployment by provision of additional incentives for teachers working in disadvantaged, remote or ethnic minority areas, for example by constructing teachers’ houses.

• Target: Action plan for introduction of multi-grade teaching and other strategies in border, remote and/or ethnic minority areas in 2006.
• Target: Action plan for deployment and redeployment, including appropriate incentives, of teaching and non-teaching staff to understaffed and new schools, in 2006.
• Target: Progress review on the staff deployment strategy in 2008.

• Ensure widely expanded provision of quality upper secondary education based on merit and result of grade 9 examinations, in response to the needs for national development, and local, regional and global labour market.

• Target: Impact review of post-secondary admissions in 2010.

• Increase the number of scholarships for youth from poor families, especially girls, to ensure their access to primary, secondary and post-secondary schools and introduce new merit-driven support programs for post-basic students from poor families, girls, ethnic minorities and other disadvantaged groups. Ensure better poverty targeted primary school feeding and grades 7-9 incentives programs.

• Target: MoEYS/MoEF agreement on Government contributions for scholarship programs for grades 1-12 in 2006.
• Target: Report on the amount of money given to each HEI against the number of non-fee paying students accepted in 2006.
• Target: Expansion of scholarship program for secondary and post-secondary students in 2008.
• Target: Impact study of program in 2010 by poverty/gender enrolment patterns.

• Expand provision of quality higher education with equity through promoting public/private partnerships and through institutional and financial reforms that allow reforms for greater operational autonomy and income generating authority for higher education institutions.

• Target: Plan for phased expansion of higher education institutions in 2008.
• Target: All public higher education institutions transferred to become Public Administrative Institutions by 2008.
• Target: Impact study of HEI expansion programs including expansion of provincial HEIs in 2010.

• Expand public/NGO/ community partnerships in non-formal education in border, remote and disadvantaged areas as well as increased support for provision of local life skills and vocational training and basic/required professional skills responsive to the needs of the social and labour market.

• Target: Progress review of youth skills training in 2008.
• Target: Progress review of NFE programs in 2008.
• Target: Impact study of the NFE programs in 2010.

4.2. Quality and Efficiency of Education Services » Up

As important as improving access to education is improving the quality and efficiency of the education services provided. In order to do this an accountable and effective institutional and governance framework that ensures standards improvement and quality services needs to be put in place at central, provincial, and district and school level.

Previous ESP reviews have put focus on the importance of teacher remuneration. The ESP 2006-2010 proposes increases in teacher remuneration and quality oriented priority programs (e.g. instructional materials, teacher development and service efficiency). These programs will be linked to a range of measures that demand stronger accountability (e.g. staff performance appraisal), improved transparency and a greater focus on achieving results.

Strategies to achieve the outcome and targets of the policy:

• Increase service remuneration and incentives linked to performance by agreeing on a reform plan for teacher salary/allowances against performances and responsibilities in co-operation with MoEF.

• Target: Agreed plan with MoEF and CAR on yearly increases in classroom teacher salary/allowances against agreed criteria and responsibilities in 2006.
• Target: Joint MoEYS/CAR/MoEF review of the effectiveness of remuneration reform and agreed follow-up actions in 2008.
• Target: Impact study of the impact of educational staff remuneration reform on service quality and effectiveness in 2010.

• Improve the quality of teaching and learning through nationwide implementation of child-friendly school and school readiness programs aimed at holistic development of schools including inclusive education, child-centred teaching and learning, conducive and gender-responsive learning environment, family/community participation and effective education management systems.

• Target: Child-friendly school policy and national CFS operational plan formulated and adopted in 2006.
• Target: CFS programs initiated in all 24 provinces by school year 2007-08.

• Increase the schools’ and traininginstitutions’ operational autonomy and accountability regarding operational budgets and decisions on programs by establishing new financial planning and accountability mechanisms for school operating budgets in primary and secondary schools, with guidelines for involvement of joint school, parents and community management as well as expanding internal audit operations to cover selected departments.

• Target: Revised guidelines and performance indicators for use of operational budgets, including budgets in 2006.
• Target: Progress review on the effect of increased budget allocations on school and institutional performance in 2008.

• Implement the new Curriculum Policy , including Primary and Lower Secondary education curriculum, with a focus on learning achievement standards at Grades 3 and 6 and 9 and the introduction of Local Life Skills Programs.

• Target: Full implementation by 2007.
• Target: Progress review on the new curriculum policy in 2010.

• Improve pre-service and in-service teacher development and introduce staff performance appraisal systems at every level of the education system, including appropriate reporting procedures.

• Target: Action plan for expanding INSET provision, including delegating greater authority to provinces for INSET planning in 2006.
• Target: Finalize revised teacher supply and demand strategy, including revised roles of TTCs and measures to improve TTC staff and facilities efficiency in 2006.
• Target: Progress review of INSET programs, including impact on teacher effectiveness and need for additional TTCs in currently under-served provinces in 2008.

• Strengthening teaching and learning quality to ensure primary and secondary teachers with pedagogy and ICT awareness.

• Target: Train 5,000 teachers at all levels per annum, with ICT training included in their training from 2006.
• 10,000 new teachers trained at all levels since 2006, with ICT training included in their training.
• 10,000 new teachers trained at all levels since 2008.

• Implement the minimum standards of student achievement for grades 3, 6 and 9 nationwide, assure a shared understanding of minimum standards amongst teachers, parents and other stakeholders and follow up on the results of the tests in the nationwide school report cards.

• Target: Public dissemination of the results of the standard testing from 2005-06.
• Public dissemination of the results of the yearly standard testing by mid 2008 onward.

• Increase transparency and improve performance monitoring and accountability of teachers, schools and post-secondary institutions by disseminating the result of students' achievements to the public and education authorities at all levels, and through a clear definition of the roles and responsibility of education inspection and inspectors at central, provincial and district levels. The role of commune councils in school performance monitoring and oversight should be promoted.

• Target: Action plan for introducing improved performance monitoring systems with instructions on oversight responsibilities in 2006.
• Target: Public dissemination of the status of HEI standards met in public and private institutions in 2008.
• Target: Development of education quality standards for all aspects to ensure effective performance in 2006.
• Target: Report to National Assembly on progress in improving education standards at all levels including MoEYS’ role in quality assurance in 2010.
• Target: Enforcement of the criteria for establishing HEIs and the accreditation of all HEIs gradually by 2010 for quality assurance.

4.3. Institutional Development and Capacity Building for Decentralization » Up

Improving the performance of all stakeholders involved in providing education services is essential in order to achieve the targets set out in ESP. The Ministry’s on-going policy priority is to enable greater delegation of authority and responsibilities to provincial, district, commune and school level. Central MoEYS departments will increasingly implement policy and strategy development and sector and program performance monitoring. A priority for ESP 2006-10 is to consolidate and extend measures thatbuild up capacity for decentralized education service management at province, district and school level.

The proposed broadening and deepening of public/private partnership will also necessitate systematic institution and capacity building. Another strategic priority will be to secure predictability of program financing from public, private, community and external sources. In order to re-assure these various stakeholders, the Ministry will give priority to strengthening governance, accounting and internal audit systems.

Strategies to achieve the outcome and targets of the policy:

• Provide a clearly defined legislative, regulatory framework to the sector and the sub-sectors through the adoption of the Education Law by end of 2006.

• Target: Adoption of Education law by end of 2006.

• Improved predictability for Medium term financial planning and decentralized management and improved Governance and Regulatory Systems by increasing transparency and accountability of resources, including external assistance.

• Target: Council of Ministers and MoEF approve a five-year recurrent and capital expenditure framework for education within MTEF by 2006. Update on budget execution in the Joint Government-Donor Working Group in every three months.
• Target: Progress review on the financial performance by government/MoEYS in 2008.
• Target: Progress review on donor budget support to assist financial predictability in 2008.

• Strengthening education system performance monitoring and impact systems, including ESP-ESSP review processes.

• Target: Annual action plan for each PAP drawn up by each technical department made available to stakeholders.
• Target: Follow-up of policy actions throughout the year through reporting on progress in the JTWG-Ed every 6 months.

• Strengthening Central, Provincial and District Financial Monitoring Systems by increased access to training for BMCs.

• Target: Prepare comprehensive capacity building programme for all BMCs in 2006 to strengthen their program and financial planning, monitoring and audit skills, especially in public accounting.
• Target: Central, provincial and district BMCs produce comprehensive program- and financial reports as a basis for internal audit in 2006.
• Target: Enabling Ministry-wide system of public accounting of Government funds for education by 2008.

• Assuring that all designated Budget Management Centres (BMC) become operational and effective, and that District and School/Institutional Management Systems are enhanced to ensure quality education.

• Target: Prepare training programme for provincial, district and school levels in management in 2006.
• Target: Preparation of revised guidelines for district BMCs and schools in management responsibilities in 2006.

• Strengthen personnel management and monitoring systems.

• Target: Implementing ICT based central and provincial personnel MIS, in co-ordination with CAR, in 2006.
• Target: Develop action plan for ICT based information management at all levels in 2006.

• Improved Higher Education Institutional Development and Capacity through institutional and financial reforms that allow greater operational autonomy and income generating authority for higher education institutions.

• Target: A strategic plan for Higher Education developed by 2008, including capacity building for HE Department and the management of information systems.

4.4. Strategies for Addressing Crosscutting Issues » Up

When implementing the policies and strategies in this ESP special attention needs to be given to certain issues in order to assure that the measures reach also the weaker groups in society. Therefore, additional measures to provide education and training in the border areas, including measures to address the vulnerability of out-of-school youth to cross-border social problems, including HIV/AIDS and child labour and trafficking, and to ethnic minorities, need to be incorporated. An equal balance of gender at all levels of MoEYS management is encouraged. A strategy of affirmative action will be utilized when it comes to promotion and training opportunities within the Ministry. In the same way, MoEYS strives for increasing the number of girl students at all levels of schooling, in conformity with the CMDGs.

Table 1: Crosscutting Issues and Strategies of the ESP

Part of the Ministry's crosscutting strategy is to carefully integrate education, youth development, physical education and sports strategies as part of ESP and ESSP. Key strategies will include: 1) expansion of civics and moral education in the curriculum; 2) extension of student volunteer contributions, such as peer tutoring, village literacy tutoring; 3) student part-time assistance for village health care support, kindergarten class support, and helping the aged, 4) promotion of volunteers campaigns from the universities, teachers colleges and upper secondary schools to offer their skills to rural and remote areas, particularly in non-formal education and literacy; and 5) expansion of physical education programs and community sports facilities nationwide. As part of this strategy, MoEYS intends to forge new partnerships with the private sector, community groups and international community.

» Topic List
	4.1 Equitable Access to Education Services
	4.2. Quality and Efficiency of Education Services
	4.3. Institutional Development and Capacity Building for Decentralization
	4.4. Strategies for Addressing Crosscutting Issues