Prime Minister Hun Sen will meet with the talented students who received a Grade A in the recent high school diploma exams – also known as baccalaureate II, or Bacc II’ – in an event to be held in Phnom Penh on February 28.
Speaking at the inauguration of an upgraded section of National Road 7 in Kratie province on February 7, Hun Sen said that despite studying online throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the students had worked hard and a record number of Grade As had been awarded from December’s exams.
“Although we are seeing a rise in Omicron cases in Phnom Penh, I still think we will be able to meet. I set the February 28 date, as I wanted to keep an eye on the Covid-19 situation. If not for these cases, we would have met already,” he said.
“I want the parents and grandparents of all of these outstanding students to know how proud I am of them all. I must confess that with the online learning we had in place, I did not expect such fantastic results. Over one thousand students accomplished a Grade A.
“In the previous years, there were usually just 4 to 5 hundred students earning Grade As. In the first year of the ‘Bacc II’ there were only 16 students who managed this grade, although the number has increased gradually. But this year, the number of Grade A students has climbed to more than 1,700,” he said.
He added that local conglomerate Chip Mong Group, which traditionally donates iPads to Grade A students, had already ordered the tablets. They would arrive in Cambodia on February 22 and be presented to the students on February 28.
“I will receive the Grade-A students in Phnom Penh, and I hand over responsibility for ensuring they will all attend to the provincial authorities. A lot of provincial governors are here. The provinces must be responsible for the students and their parents travel to Phnom Penh,” Hun Sen said.
“Most importantly, the children want to meet with me ... so I can share my encouragement with the future leaders of our society,” he added.
Hun Sen also singled out Kratie province for praise, saying that despite having a relatively low enrolment rate, it had produced 45 Grade A students.
