Harrison White

Shrewsbury International School Phnom Penh held its Grand Opening Ceremony, with a special focus on its Early Years School at Raffles Hotel Le Royal. The ceremony was presided over by H.E. Dr. Sann Vathana, Under Secretary of State, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport.

The enthusiastic support from high-ranking government officials and Shrewsbury School UK made the event more auspicious. The event was graced by the presence of: 

• Mr. Dominic Williams MBE – British Ambassador to Cambodia.
• Dr. Maghin Tamilarasan – UK-based Governor of Shrewsbury International School Phnom and International Business Director of the Shrewsbury School Family.
• Mr. Kong Jianming – Chairman, Jovan Group (Cambodia).

Officials from Shrewsbury International School Phnom Penh included: 

• Mr. Charles Wong – Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer.
• Mr. Keith Chan – General Manager.
• Mr. Toby Waterson – Founding Principal.
• Mrs. Charlotte Thomas – Deputy Principal.

Offering the best quality educational system in Cambodia

Mr. Charles Wong, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Shrewsbury International School Phnom Penh said it was an honour for him to bring a world-class educational provision to Cambodia.

“t is my hope and dream that someday parents will remember me and the school for what we have contributed in terms of offering the best quality educational system that Cambodia has ever seen. After all, I strongly believe that education can change the world for the better,” he said.

To read more about UK education in Cambodia click here.

Mr. Wong further added: “since I am deeply rooted in this sector, I judged that I could bring the best of the British educational system, which has over 400 years of proven effectiveness, to Cambodia. This would bridge the existing gap between the local standards and the international standards in the educational industry”.

A planting ceremony for the Shrewsbury Tree in Cambodia was carried out by both government representatives and school officials, inspired by the school tree walk from Shrewsbury School in the UK. The chosen tree is called Rumdoul, and its blossom is the national flower of Cambodia. 

Construction of Shrewsbury International School Phnom Penh’s main campus

During the event was the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Mr. Keith Chan, General Manager of Shrewsbury International School Phnom Penh and Mr. Joe Kwong, General Manager of Jovan Group (Cambodia). 

It was a milestone for the school, as it marks the agreement with the developer for the construction of Shrewsbury International School Phnom Penh’s main campus, to be located next to the first phase of Jovan City on Highway 6A in the Sangkat Chroy Changvar district. 

The school will occupy 7.5 hectares out of the total of 140 hectares of Jovan City, and will be built to house 2,000 students at its premium boarding facilities, the opening is forecast for late 2023.

Responding to questions from Cambodia Investment Review on the timing and chosen location the school’s management explained that Phnom Penh very much felt as Bangkok did in the early 2000s with strong city growth.

The right time and location for Phnom Penh’s expansion

Dr. Maghin Tamilarasan explained that Shrewsbury is now operating in three locations outside of the UK including Thailand (Bangkok), Hong Kong and now Cambodia (Phnom Penh) adding the timing was in line with Cambodia’s strong economic growth.

“We opened our first non-UK location in Bangkok in 2003 and have subsequently opened a second there to cater for demand – after concluding detailed market research of Phnom Penh we anticipate similar strong demand now, and even more in the coming years,” he said.

Reflecting on the choice of school location in the Chroy Changvar district Mr. Charles Wong highlighted the area’s long-term growth prospects as well as the requirement for a large amount of space to host the sporting facilities planned.

To read more about Phnom Penh’s growing city click here.

“While the school will have boarding facilities our long-term aim is to build a strong school community within Jovan City and hope our development can encourage more investment and amenities in the area,” Mr. Wong said.

Shrewsbury International School Phnom Penh is currently established in the Flatiron by Meridian building for Early Years from September 2022 as a state-of-the-art co-educational international school.