University officials sought to assuage concerns over post-election civic unrest and unsafe travelling conditions yesterday, urging students who have stayed away from Phnom Penh to return to class.

At Asia Euro University, administrators linked the negative impact of cutting class on subject completion, highlighting the importance of following regular school schedules.

“The University appealed to the student[s] to come back to school,” said Seng Sovann, a general administrator.

“We are afraid some of our students will not complete their subjects on time.”

A number of students had yet to return from the provinces added Sovann.

Chan Srey Meas, a university student in Phnom Penh, said that while many attended classes as usual yesterday, some were unnerved by the rumoured unrest and did not.

“Today I went to school, but in my class there were few students,” she said.

“They are afraid of any turmoil, and some students who went to their homeland for the election have not yet been allowed to come back by their parents.”

Concerned parents were the main reason some 30 per cent of students at Human Resources University failed to return to classes yesterday, according to deputy rector Ek Monosen, who noted that children were warned to stay away.

“The students should come back to school as normal because the city situation is not like what [their parents] are concerned about,” he said.