Every summer in Cambodia a hush falls over the capital city of Phnom Penh. Young people can be seen lighting candles for good luck at Buddhist temples across the country. The Ministry of Education becomes unusually quiet, even the shutters on the windows of the main building are closed. Many of the usually open office doors are locked, and the hallways are silent.

This unusual quiet is not because of a national holiday or annual vacations. Instead, it is national examinations season for educators and students in all secondary schools across Cambodia. In a nation that values education highly, these tests are serious business. This year more than 100,000 high school students took their 12th grade level exams across the country. Currently, Cambodia has two national exams, testing children at the at the 9th and 12th grade levels. These exams have a dual purpose; they help Cambodia measure the progress of their educational reforms and the health of their education system while also governing the education future of each child taking the exam. The 9th grade level exams determine a child’s placement in upper secondary school while the 12th grade exams double as university entrance exams for those students who successfully pass. Understandably, parents, students, and administrators anxiously await the results, which not only take the pulse of the nation’s education system but will shape the academic futures of thousands of young people. How many students will pass and receive a diploma? How many will go on to study at the universities?

All the fervor belies a less promising fact: a vast majority of Cambodia’s youth never make it into the hallways of secondary school to take these or other exams. Despite much progress in the Cambodian education system, the country still faces an uphill challenge to get all of its youth in school and learning:

• More than 9 in 10 Cambodian children enroll in primary school; however, the number of children attending primary school decreases significantly at each grade, especially at points of transition;
• Only about 1 in 3 Cambodian children who enrolled in primary school  will progress to lower secondary school;
• Ultimately, only 1 out of 5 initially enrolled in primary school will graduate from secondary school

Truthfully, some children do not go to primary school or do not transition to secondary school simply because a school is not available close to their home. But, Cambodia is constantly working to make this increasingly uncommon, building more than 500 lower secondary schools and 300 primary schools, including 158 primary schools funded by the Global Partnership for Education, since 2005.

Building schools alone is not enough.

We know that providing education, especially a good quality education, is no easy task. It is a combination of different factors – like a mixture of ingredients in a good cooking recipe – that make a winning combination and produce the desired result.

In recent years, Cambodia has been working to improve education quality, starting at the primary level. The Ministry has adopted a Child-Friendly School Policy, approved a set of teacher professional standards, and is working to improve teacher training curriculum. Evidence tells us that the quality of school leadership directly influences the quality of education children receive and school performance results. Since 2005, Cambodia has been implementing a course for school directors on leadership and school management. Anational education plan funded by the Global Partnership for Education has supported the training of more than 1500 school directors in leadership, management and administration.

Learning starts at the school level, and every school needs a strong, committed leader. Traveling throughout Cambodia visiting different schools, I met many school directors. Good schools are easy to spot – and good schools are often led by dedicated directors. They operate as large, extended families and often have strong ties with the community. Schools led by committed school directors are often more inclusive and welcoming to all children, which aids both enrollment and progression through the education system. School directors become advocates for excluded children, and a go-to person for teachers. They are directly involved in the community where the school is located, and are often seen on school grounds supporting teaching at the classroom level, and monitoring children’s progress.

Although Cambodian education sector has made tremendous progress in the last 10 years, much more work lies ahead. Only 1 in 5 Cambodian children make it all the way through the education system, and along the way many children are excluded because of poverty, disability, familial and cultural barriers, or because they have special learning needs which the schools and the system are not able to meet. There is a shortage of teachers at all levels, especially in science-based subjects and in remote schools or disadvantaged areas. There are often not enough text books or teaching and learning materials.

All of these challenges give new light to the reverence around national examinations and make me want to applaud those Cambodian youth who, despite many difficulties, make it through the 12th grade. Some of these graduates will go on to become teachers, and fill other much needed professions in the Cambodian society. As I work closely with Ministry of Education staff and other partners to continue expanding and improving the nation’s education system, I know that we all share the hope that every year more and more Cambodian children will be taking these exams for secondary school and beyond.

Without additional support, the work of Cambodia’s Ministry to help get more students into school and learning may be undone. Learn more now about the Global Partnership for Education’s work in countries such as Cambodia, and how your support during our replenishment will allow us to continue helping bring good quality basic education to all children.