Cambodia Investment Review
Together with Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, Plan International Cambodia (PIC) and Child Rights Foundation will organise National Launching workshop of Safe School Guideline on 24th October 2023 at Sokha hotel. The workshop was presided over by H.E. Nat Bunroeun, Secretary of State, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) and participated by over 100 relevant stakeholders including MoEYS, Disaster Management Secretariat (DMS), National Committee for Disaster Management, Provincial Department of Education, Youth and Sports (PoEYS) from 25 provinces/capital, district governors and Department of Education, Youth and Sports (DoEYS), NGOs networks and members of JAG.
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The workshop aimed to disseminate the Safe School Guideline to all key stakeholders, including relevant departments of the MoEYS and PoEYS. In addition, it seeks to strengthen the cooperation between the MoEYS, PoEYS, DoEYS and all relevant institutions to expand the scope of implementation of the guideline to education institutions in Cambodia.
Through this collaboration, Prudential intends to play an active role in positively impacting the lives of Cambodia’s children by ensuring their safety and enabling them to thrive in a secure educational environment. By implementing the Safe School Guidelines in schools, the aim is to empower teachers, parents, and community members to collectively prioritize the well-being of children and prevent potential risks and hazards.
With funding support from Prudence Foundation through Plan International Hong Kong, Plan International Cambodia has been implementing the “Promoting Safe School Initiative in Cambodia” project since 2016 aiming to support children in the most at-risk communities in Cambodia to be resilient to disasters and have a safe and secure learning environment through increasing support from the government.
Strengthening The Sustainability Of Safe School Applications
Yi Kimthan, Acting Country Director, Plan International Cambodia said that the project is strengthening the sustainability of safe school applications in the 96 target schools through increasing ownership and support from the government, especially PoEYS and local authorities. It will contribute to achieving the PIC’s strategic objective of Lifelong Learning program which is aiming to see adolescent girls, and young women have full access to adequate quality education and skill development that will enable and support life-long learning and decent employment. In addition, it will also contribute to achieving the SDG 4 which is aiming to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all; he added.
“We got funding support from Prudence Foundation to implement Safe Schools initiative in Cambodia project for phase III which built on the achievements of phase I and II and rolled out a contextualised and effective model for Safe Schools from 60 target schools in Stung Treng to a further 36 new target schools in Siem Reap and Ratanakiri Provinces,”, explained Kimthan. “The project will strategically address some of the key gaps and challenges from the previous phase’s implementation.”
Kimthan continued that children are the most at risk in the disaster. During a disaster, children could not go to school and their learning materials were damaged every year. With this project, Plan International Cambodia and its partner Child Rights Foundation have worked with the MoEYS to update the Climate Change Adaptation/Disaster Risk Reduction curriculum and teacher handbooks for primary education; and support in updating the nationwide Safe School Guideline in alignment with the Comprehensive School Safety Framework 2022-2030.
“The implementation of the Safe School Guideline will help to support and encourage all relevant key stakeholders to support children’s safety and protection,” explained Kimthan.
The guideline was adopted and is being implemented by MoEYS to address the cascading and compounding disasters in the education sector. It has three main objectives:
- Protect students and education staff from death, injury and violence as well as safeguard schools and education settings from damage;
- Develop effective education plans for continuous prevention and reduction of disruptions to children’s learning in preparation for all kinds of shocks, stresses, hazards and threats;
- Enhance the knowledge and skills of students and other key stakeholders for contributing to risk reduction, resilience and sustainable development.
- “We hope that based on that guideline, student will learn without fear in a safe place; and with quality education, so they can fulfill their dream.” said Kimthan.
Adhering to the ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) framework, Prudential has a strong commitment to minimizing its environmental footprint and to support initiatives that promote environmental conservation and resilience, The partnership with Plan International on the sponsorship of the Safe School program serve as prime examples of Prudential’s commitment to creating a positive impact and fostering a safer school for the Cambodian children.
“Climate change should be a concern for everyone, regardless of their industry or sector. The increasing devastation caused by climate impacts is deeply distressing, particularly when children become the victims of such consequences. Therefore, we take great pride in our partnership with Plan International Cambodia to implement the Safe School program, which perfectly aligns with our mission. Ensuring the safety and protection of children in at-risk communities is of paramount importance to us. Through investments in the education sector and the promotion of resilience in the face of disasters, our goal is to create a sustainable future where every child can thrive and fulfill their potential,” said Mr. Chee Weng Yip, Chief Distributions Officer.
