Cambodia kicked off the new academic year of 2021-2022 for all grades on January 10, with all students required to implement the “new normal path in education” in the context of Covid-19. This came after two years of remote learning and disruptions to regular classroom instruction due to the pandemic.

In a message to start off the new academic year, Prime Minister Hun Sen said that since the first Covid-19 outbreak in Cambodia in March 2020, the government and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport have introduced effective and prudent measures to curb the spread of Covid-19, such as implementing the “new normal path of education”.

Minister of Education, Youth and Sport Hang Chuon Naron said the government took care of the lives of educators and students as its top priority and urged them to practice health preventive measures such as the three dos and three don’ts while implementing effective remote learning and digital classroom management policies and administrative measures.

He said these policies have enabled Cambodia to celebrate the opening of the new school year 2021-2022, which is a big day for all educational institutions across the country and it was made possible by the concept of “the new normal path in education”.

Speaking while presiding over the opening ceremony for the new school year at Hun Sen Prasat Bakong High School in Siem Reap, the minister said sustainable education was very important to ensure its quality and an environment that provides equal opportunities for Cambodian children and youth, both formal and informal, across the country.

“Currently, the government has been making efforts to further socio-economic development and has considered the development of human resources as the first priority,” he said.

Hun Many – chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee on Education, Cults, Religious Affairs, Culture and Tourism – congratulated the ministry on the opening day of the new academic year and welcomed all students of all grades in all villages across the country back to the classroom.

“I would like to express my deep gratitude for the efforts of the government, the education ministry and especially the teachers who have worked hard in the past to overcome all obstacles to ensure the continuation of education for the Kingdom’s students in the difficult phases of the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.

Many called on school administrators, teachers, parents and students to continue to implement health measures to make Cambodia’s schools safe places to receive an education and not places where transmission of Covid-19 into the community occurs.