Lessons on ‘basic life skills' are part of a curriculum that has been approved for primary and secondary schools.

Photo by:

TRACEY SHELTON

World Vision's Peace Road for Children will soon be in classrooms in Cambodia. 

THE Christian relief and development organisation World Vision distributed on Friday a book detailing its Peace Road for Children curriculum to provincial and municipal education officials.

World Vision took five years to produce the book, copies of which were also distributed to representatives from 30 local and international NGOs at an event held Friday at the organisation's Phnom Penh offices.

Ket Chanto, World Vision's education program manager, said the book was intended to be used as an educational tool to "strengthen children and youths as peacebuilders".

The book's topics include diversity, gender equity and "having fun without offending or harming anyone", Ket Chanto said.

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport has decided to allow the teaching of the Peace Road for Children curriculum in primary and secondary schools, Ket Chanto said, adding that the curriculum would help teachers cover "basic life skills".

"I believe that this book will help not only the students but also the society to reduce and stop domestic violence," said Ket Chanto, who added that it would also help students "live with good morality and forgive other people". 

He said teachers should spend two to five hours each week covering the material.

Ton Sa Im, an undersecretary of state at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, said the book would "help Cambodian students know more about themselves and their society because the chapters in the book tell about the real situation in our society".

She said officials must work with NGOs and development partners to improve the quality of education programs on offer in the Kingdom.