Cambodia COVID-19 Joint Education Needs Assessment

Interviews with over 15,000 respondents assess the impact of school closures on student learning and the multidimensional impacts of COVID-19 on teachers, children and their parents.

The Royal Government of Cambodia took the decision to close all education institutions, including public and private schools, on 16 March 2020, as a preventive measure against the spread of COVID-19. School closures have resulted in disruption of learning in all of Cambodia’s schools, affecting 3.2 million students. In response, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS), together with development partners, are making significant efforts to provide continuous distance learning opportunities for all students in Cambodia.  

MoEYS, in collaboration with the Education Sector Working Group (ESWG), conducted the Cambodia COVID-19 Joint Education Sector Needs Assessment to better understand the impacts of COVID-19 and subsequent school closures on education stakeholders, including children. MoEYS and ESWG developed the scope, objectives and methodology of this comprehensive education needs assessment to inform and strengthen future COVID-19 response and recovery efforts.  

This assessment is the result of collaborative efforts between MoEYS, ESWG and local and international non-governmental organisations, involved in administering surveys to over 15,000 respondents consisting of students and caregivers, teachers, school directors, teacher trainees and educators, education administrators and local authorities. The assessment findings help to better understand the learning loss experienced by children; will assist with the formulation of evidence-based policy; and will further inform the delivery of education programmes to meet the needs of vulnerable children.