The ESSP Review 2004 offers a further opportunity to review the performance of the education sector in four years ago. This education sector performance report 2004 reflects the (i) enrolment trend of all level of education, from ECE to higher education; (ii) education quality and efficiency, institutional development and capacity building; (iii) trends in budget allocation and PAP disbursement performance; (iv) provincial education performance; (v) education reform progress and impact and (vi) forward look.

This report also reflects the progress and impact of some strategies and programs and shows that the reforms continue to be pro-poor with growing numbers of children from poor families progressing further in primary and secondary education. There are encouraging initial signs that the teaching and learning activities in schools is improving. Similarly, the process of capacity building for decentralization, which began in 2001, has now been extended, especially to provincial, district and school levels. However more needs to be done to consolidate and extend the impact of these reforms.

In order to assure achievement of Millennium Development Goals and EFA targets, a first challenge is to ensure that the existing reforms and priority programs are managed to maximum effect, especially on quality. A second challenge is to assess whether additional policy reforms and new program strategies are required to speed up reforms.

Finally, I would like to thank the MoEYS senior officials and technical staffs that have led the preparation of this education sector performance report 2004. In the years ahead I believe we will all look back to 2003 as a milestone in the process of educational development in Cambodia.

H.E. Chhay Aun
Director General of Administration and Finance
For Senior Minister and Minister of Education, Youth and Sport.