J UST under seven per cent of high school students due to graduate passed their

end-of-year examinations in the last school year, according to the Ministry of

Education.

Secondary (or lower high) school students fared better while

primary students, more than 50 per cent of whom graduated, did the

best.

In the 1994-95 school year, a total of 1,377 - or 6.7 percent - of

23,000 Year 11 students passed their final exams. Those who pass graduate from

the school system to seek employment or undergo higher

education.

Meanwhile, 19,480 - 29 per cent - of the Year 8 students at

secondary school passed their exams to graduate to high school.

At primary

schools, 71,250 - or 55 per cent - of 129,587 Year 5 students who sat

end-of-year exams graduated to secondary school.

Minister of Education

Tol Lah said the latest results were a small improvement over the past year or

two, but were grim compared to the 70-90 per cent pass rates under the former

State of Cambodia regime.

But corruption was previously common in the

education system, reflecting on examination results, and had increasingly been

reduced in recent years.

Meanwhile, other statistics show that schools

continue to be dominated by boys.

Girls comprise 45.2 per cent of primary

school students, 35.4 per cent of high schools pupils and 15.3 per cent of

university scholars.