» Topic List
	2.1. Equitable Access to Education Services
	2.2. Quality and Efficiency of Education Services
	2.3. Institutional Development and Capacity Building for Decentralisation

This section summarizes what the Cambodian education sector has achieved in terms of access, quality and institutional/capacity development against the indicators and targets set out in the ESP 2004-2008.

Table 1 and Figure 1 below show that primary net enrolment ratio (NER) nearly achieved the set target of 92% for total and 91% for female. It is worth noting that the NER increases were especially significant in rural and remote areas. Comparing school year 2000-01 with school year 2004-05, nationally and in rural areas NER rose by more than 8 percentage points, in remote areas the rise was over 20 percentage points, while the increase in urban areas during the same period was around 5 percentage points.

The expansion in access to lower secondary has also been significant with over 66% more students being enrolled in 2004-05 than in 2000-01. However, this expansion has fallen short of the ambitious target of 40% NER by the 2004-05 school year (see Figure 1). An examination of student numbers in each primary grade leading up to lower secondary indicates that a more comprehensive assessment of expected primary completion and transition rates should be used to inform future lower secondary targets. That said, in remote areas NER remains low at 3.90%, i.e. that more than 95% of children aged 12-14 from these areas are not enrolled in secondary schools within their districts, which implies that there still exists an acute shortage of secondary school in these areas. Among 1,621 communes in the country, only 749 have lower secondary schools. At upper secondary level, expansion of access has been slow as well: NER there increased by only 1.6 percentage points in the past five years.

Access to non-formal and higher education has not reached the levels envisaged in the ESP 2004-08, as Table 1 indicates. It should be noted, however, that the number of students enrolled in private higher education institutions has been increasing rapidly: private enrolment more than doubled from 18,000 to nearly 39,000 in the past five years, while public institutions recorded less than 10% enrolment increase during the same period. In fact, the number of female fee-paying students in higher education surpassed the pre-defined target of 10,800 in the 2004-05 school year.

In order to achieve the yearly targets of the ESP and eventually meet the longer-term goals of CMDG and EFA, greater efforts are required, especially in further boosting coverage of and access to post-primary education.

Table 1: Actual achievement against target on equitable access

Indicator	Actual 2000-01		Actual 2004-05		Target 2004-05
	Total	Female	Total	Female	Total	Female
Admission rate	76.4%	74.9%	81.0%	79.5%	90%	90%
Net enrolment ratio Primary: nationwide Primary: urban area Primary: rural area Primary: remote area Lower secondary: nationwide Lower secondary: urban Lower secondary: rural area Lower secondary: remote area Upper secondary	83.8% 86.4% 84.1% 62.3% 16.6% 29.5% 14.1% 1.2% 7.7%	80.7% 83.2% 81.0% 58.2% 13.7% 26.8% 11.0% 1.0% 5.4%	91.9% 91.6% 92.4% 82.5% 26.1% 41.3% 23.7% 3.9% 9.3%	90.7% 90.4% 91.2% 79.4% 24.8% 40.5% 22.2% 4.1% 7.9%	92% 95% 92% 76% 40% 50% 35% 15% 15%	91% 94% 91% 75% 39% 49% 34% 15% 14%
Transition rate To lower secondary To upper secondary.	77.3% 56.2%	71.1% 57.9%	81.9% 56.1%	79.6% 58.0%	87% 64%	85% 66%
Number of students in NFE/CLLC programs (full time equivalent)	-	-	141,561	80,171	220,000	132,000
Number of students in public higher education institutions - Number of scholarship students	7,291   -	1.890   -	7,953   …	2,802   …	20,000   8,500	6,000   3,000
Number of private supported students in higher education	18,125	5,060	38,882	12,685	49,000	10,800
Number of students in teacher training	8,302	3,377	6,520	2,512	10,000	3,600

Table 2 below shows the achievement of several indicators related to quality and efficiency of education against the targets set out in the ESP 2004-2008. As a system for standardised learning assessment has yet to be established measuring actual achievement in quality and outcomes of teaching and learning is a challenge. However, some proxy indicators show that progress has fallen far short of the set targets. For instance, grade promotion rates are much lower than the target, especially in grade 1, and with the current pace of progress, achieving the long-term targets will not be viable (see Figure 2). Similarly, repetition rates continue to be high, again particularly in grade 1, and progress has been slow. During the past five years the rates decreased only by 4.9 percentage points, 1.5 percentage points and 2.8 percentage points in grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3 respectively. With this rate, meeting the long-term EFA goals is not possible.

On the other hand, significant improvement in the education level of teaching staff has occurred in the past five years, as Table 2 also shows. The proportion of teachers who have at least lower secondary diplomas increased from 26% in the 2000-01 school year to 36% in the 2004-05 school year. This advancement does not live up to the ESP target of 51% however.

In any event, in order to measure systematically the progress in quality and efficiency of education services, it is necessary to develop and collect better sets of indicators and data. Introduction of a standardized student learning assessment system as well as school report cards is expected to enable more rigorous and systematic monitoring of the quality of education services from the 2006-07 school year onwards.

Table 2: Actual achievement against target on quality and efficiency

Indicator	Actual 2000-01		Actual 2004-05		Target 2004-05
Pupil teacher ratio - Primary - Lower secondary - Upper secondary	53.3 18.3 25.3		53.5 27.7 29.4		51.0 26.0 28.0
Promotion rate Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3	Total (1999-00)	Female	Total (2003-04)	Female	Total	Female
	60.9% 71.5% 73.9%	60.9% 72.4% 75.0%	64.8% 73.4% 77.3%	65.4% 74.8% 78.9%	88% 89% 88%	88% 89% 89%
Repetition rate Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3	Total (1999-00)	Female	Total (2003-04)	Female	Total	Female
	28.5% 17.6% 15.0%	27.5% 16.4% 13.5%	23.6% 16.1% 13.2%	22.4% 14.4% 11.3%	6% 5% 5%	6% 4% 5%
Expenditure on core instructional materials per pupil (Riels)	-		-		5,800
Number of incomplete primary schools	2,484		1,934		1,800
% of teachers attending grades 10-12 or above	26.0%		36.0%		51%
Number of new remote/difficult teacher postings	-		…		4,500
Number of students passing grade 12 examination	17,713		18,883		25,000
Number of students re-entering grades 3-9	…		…		30,000
% of accredited public/private HE institutions	-		…		15%
No. of schools/TTCs with new science and ICT facilities	-		…		10

In terms of institutional development and capacity building, the following are major achievements in the past five years:

- A cohesive planning and implementation mechanism of capacity building activities established through the Capacity Building Coordination Groups (CBCGs) under both DGE and DGAF.

- Education Law drafted and submitted for approval to the National Assembly

- Capacity building programs expanded to decentralized levels (provinces, districts, and schools) in financial reporting, program monitoring, and information management

- The use of ICT extended through MOEYS website, advocacy campaigns, and management information systems (MISs)

- Functions of the Internal Audit Department strengthened and sample audits for provincial, district and school BMCs conducted

- Development of ECE, basic education, and life skills indicators standards for monitoring and evaluating the quality.

- Results-based sector performance monitoring strengthened based on EMIS and other data

- Regulations for budget management and execution under preparation

- Consultative meetings with province and districts especially on PAP management and implementation regularly organized

- Technical capacity in developing and implementing new curriculum strengthened at central and provincial levels

- Planning and management skills and knowledge enhanced among school principals and school cluster staff

- Capacity in examination administration and management strengthened

- Understanding of the concept and practice of child-friendly schools extended at central, provincial, district and school levels

- The management system of some PAPs revised

- Coordination between the Government and donors and NGOs strengthened through regular meetings of the Joint Technical Working Group (JTWG) for Education

In order to assess the results of sector-wide capacity and institutional development efforts more systematically it will again be essential to identify additional sets of indicators. The ESP 2006-2010 and the ESSP 2006-2010 should provide an improved monitoring framework that enables more rigorous and regular assessment of individual, organizational and institutional capacity of the education sector as the indicators have been revised.

Table 3: Actual achievement against target on institutional development and capacity building

» Topic List
	2.1. Equitable Access to Education Services
	2.2. Quality and Efficiency of Education Services
	2.3. Institutional Development and Capacity Building for Decentralisation