AKP Phnom Penh, March 27, 2025 --  

The Kingdom of Cambodia through the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports (MoEYS) and the United Kingdom on Mar. 26 announced two new projects as part of the ASEAN-UK Supporting the Advancement of Girls’ Education (ASEAN-UK SAGE) Programme with the aim of improving foundational learning outcomes in Southeast Asia.

According to the British Embassy in Cambodia’s press release, the “Strengthening retention through TaRL” (teaching at the right level) pilot project aims to improve learning outcomes for 500 children in grades 4 and 5 who are at risk of dropping out. The students will be grouped by their learning level in reading and mathematics, instead of by grade, to ensure they receive the dedicated support they need.

Meanwhile the project on “Strengthening M&E (monitoring and evaluation) capacity for improving foundational learning outcomes” will assess classroom practice and materials used in Grades 1 and 2. The goal is to provide evidence to improve pre-service courses at Phnom Penh and Battambang Teacher Education Colleges and support scaling up of the Department of Primary Education’s mentoring system.  It will also support the development of early grade reading materials.

The projects will be delivered by ASEAN-UK SAGE partners the British Council, the Southeast Asia Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) and the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), with Pratham International playing a key role in the TaRL project.

“I am proud that UK education is playing an important role in helping Cambodia prepare to graduate from Least Developed Country status and to sustain its phenomenal development journey. Our education institutions, like De Montfort University Cambodia, are helping ensure that Cambodia has access to professional and technical skills at the highest level. Our development programmes help ensure that all Cambodians, especially girls and marginalised groups, are able to access high quality foundational learning, to increase the economic opportunities for them and their communities,” said H.E. Dominic Williams MBE, British Ambassador to Cambodia.

The ambassador also expressed his delight of the launch of the two new trial projects, as part of both countries’ strong commitment to improving educational attainment across ASEAN. These projects, designed in partnership with the MoEYS, have the potential to bring huge educational benefits to children of all backgrounds, across the length and breadth of Cambodia, he added.

Mr. Craig Farmer, Team Leader, ASEAN-UK SAGE Programme said, “We are proud and excited to begin our work with Cambodia’s MoEYS on the first pilot projects to come out of the ASEAN-UK SAGE Programme. The British Council team and our partners on ASEAN–UK SAGE are looking forward to working with teachers and teacher educators across the country toward our shared goals in education, and specifically toward improving basic reading and maths outcomes for girls and boys in Southeast Asia. In this regard, we're delighted to bring these projects and the Teaching at the Right Level approach to Cambodia.”

H.E. Oung Borat, Secretary of State at the MoEYS said the ministry is delighted to engage in meaningful international cooperation through ASEAN–UK SAGE Programme alongside its dedicated partners — the SEAMEO Secretariat, the British Council, and the UK Government. These pilot projects underscore the significance of global collaboration in addressing critical educational challenges and ensuring sustainable, inclusive development for all learners in Cambodia, he underlined.

Datuk Dr Habibah binti Abdul Rahim, Director, SEAMEO Secretariat said, "The launch of these two pilot projects in Cambodia is a powerful testament to the collaborative spirit between MoEYS and the ASEAN-UK SAGE Programme partners. At SEAMEO Secretariat, we deeply value such cooperation, recognising it as fundamental to delivering educational solutions that are both innovative and responsive to the real needs of learners, particularly girls and marginalised youth. We look forward to continued success together.”

Funded by UK International Development, ASEAN-UK SAGE aims to improve foundational learning in Southeast Asia for all, with a special focus on girls and marginalised groups, through the development of effective policies and programmes. Delivered by British Council and SEAMEO Secretariat, in partnership with EdTech Hub and ACER, the programme is designed to tackle exclusion and constraints limiting the achievement of girls and marginalised groups in ASEAN member states (AMS) and Timor-Leste as part of ASEAN-UK Plan of Action.  

By Phal Sophanith