Samrong Education Centre

Samrong is located in Oddar Meanchey province, in Northwest Cambodia. Education opportunities are severely limited and dropout rates remain high. Physical access to school is difficult with the cost of transport or the number of walking hours proving dissuasive. Many children must convince their parents of the importance of education, as often the families rely on small-scale farming for income and thus their children being a part of their workforce.

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  • Centre
  • Cambodia
  • Rural and isolated populations
Progress: 18%

Funds raised so far: £8,000 of £42,511

Rural and disadvantaged public schools tend to have facilities in poor condition, which negatively impacts on the quality of education provided. Driven by extremely low wages, there is an ingrained culture of private tuitions after school hours where teachers expect students to pay an extra fee to make up the shortfall, but this is unattainable for disadvantaged children.

The Samrong Education Centre works in conjunction with the public schooling system. The Centre provides full boarding which includes accommodation, tuition, extracurricular activities and various types of material support, to enable disadvantaged students to pursue secondary education.

Applicants to the centre are selected based on their family’s economic situation, their personal motivation, and their academic achievements. The centre aims to provide these students with the means to become well-balanced men and women.

IMPACT OF THE SAMRONG EDUCATION CENTRE

  • In the 2018-2019 academic year, the Samrong Education Centre had an impact on 294 direct beneficiaries and we estimate at least twice that number of indirect beneficiaries:
    • 74 children received full boarding in the four boarding houses in the centre, in addition to education support.
    • The centre also catered to an extra 50-80 children (depending on the month) who came every day to receive free tuition given out of school hours in the centre.
    • An additional 140 children living with their families in the surrounding villages were supported through child sponsorship and social care from the centre.

 

In 2018-2019, 100% of our Grade 12 students, 4 girls and 6 boys, successfully obtained their baccalaureate (end of high school exam). This crucial exam is a portal to university education and then a properly paid job or vocational training if it serves the individual and their family better. Such performance speaks volumes for the critical role played by the Samrong Education Centre in the lives of these students.

Student orientation is a key part of what we offer our students in higher grades. The objective is to expose these students to the various opportunities available to them in the future. For those students who are better served by gaining quicker access to employment, we partner with Vocational Training Schools to help students learn skills that will enable meaningful employment.

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