EDF International Foundation

Country’s Name	Cambodia
National Flag
Name of Capital City	Phnom Penh
Number of Population	17.03 millions
National Language	Khmer
National Religion	Buddhism
Life Expectancy	Male: 67.1 years Female: 72.6 years
Literacy Rate	84% (2024)
Percentage of People Living under the Poverty Line	16.6%
Ethnic Minority Groups	3.7% (Khmer Leu, Cham, Thai, Vietnam and others)
Total Country’s Area	181,035 sq km
Number of Provinces	24 provinces
Seasons/Climate	2 seasons

Compulsory Education: 9 years (P1 to M3)

Education Level:

Level of Education	Years of Studying	Age range of students
Kindergarten	3	3 - 5
Preparatory/Preschool	3	3 - 5
Primary	6	6 - 11
Lower Secondary School	3	12 - 14
High School	3	15 - 17
Vocational School	1 - 3	15 - 17
University (Bachelor’s Degree)	4 - 7	18 - 24

School Year (Primary and Secondary)

First Semester	October 1st - April 4th
Second Semester	April 20th- July 30th

School Break

First Semester Break	April 5th - April 19th
Second Semester Break	August 1st - September 30th

Enrollment and Dropout Rate

Level		Percentage of Enrollment Rate	Percentage of Dropout Rate
Primary Education		2,142,464	8.3
Secondary Education	Lower Secondary	541,147	21.7
	Upper Secondary	318,165	13.7

Major Education Issues & Problems

1. High drop out rate

2. Large number of school-going aged populations is outside school (23.56%)

3. Poor education quality

4. Lack of teachers in rural areas

5. Large number of population lives below a poverty line

6. People’s understanding of education is limited

7. Closer alignment between education and employment including a development of technical and vocational education and training in response to labor market demands and nationwide skills building is needed

Rural student's family in Cambodia

Cambodia lower secondary school's classroom

Cambodia's students commuting to school Cambodia rural school's classroom Cambodia students at school