Prime Minister Hun Sen said Cambodia was able to celebrate National Literacy Day on September 8 thanks to the country’s success in the fight against Covid-19. The Kingdom has managed the pandemic exceptionally well, with no recent deaths recorded and the full reopening of all socio-economic activities, along the new normal trajectory.

Hun Sen wrote a congratulatory message to mark the occasion, which was celebrated with the theme of “Literacy as a bridge to careers and further education”. The theme was intended to encourage lifelong learning.

“The vision of this year’s theme focuses on providing opportunities for all people to acquire knowledge, skills, entrepreneurship and innovation in all areas – especially in digital literacy, for which there is growing demand,” he wrote.

Hang Chuon Naron, Minister of Education, Youth and Sport, said the day should serve as a reminder that in order to contribute to the economic recovery post, all citizens should continue to study regardless of their age. Learning is not just defined by literacy, but by employable skills, he added.

He said the ministry is currently cooperating with many relevant institutions to develop a culture of lifelong learning among Cambodian youth.

“I appeal to all of our people to pursue further education whenever they get the chance, whether formal or informal. I especially encourage the pursuit of literacy, numeracy and digital literacy in order to obtain occupations that contribute to the Kingdom’s post-pandemic recovery,” he said.

He added that people with certain professional skills, whether in growing crops, raising animals, repairing equipment or selling souvenirs should be searching for ways to expand their businesses to improve their families’ incomes and boost the national economy.

Sardar Umar Alam, UNESCO representative in Cambodia, said literacy is the foundation of human resource development of all nations. Cambodia has achieved a literacy rate of 87 per cent, and this year, UNESCO has also revolutionised its literacy programmes.

UNESCO aims to empower 80 per cent of the women working in factories who face challenges in reading, writing and numeracy, he said.

“To ensure that our programme implementation reaches the target groups who most need it, we are now working with the private sector – especially through employers and the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia [GMAC] – to open literacy classes to provide them with opportunities for on-the-job education,” he said.

According to education ministry spokesman Ros Soveacha, the literacy rate of Cambodians aged over 15 currently stands at 87.8 per cent.

This demonstrated the government’s efforts to reduce illiteracy through its National Literacy Day, he said, citing the 2019-2020 Socio-Economic Survey.

Kuoch Kou Lom-A, director of the ministry's Non-Formal Education Department, said that in Cambodia, approximately over 17,000 illiterate people enrolled in the ministry’s programmes annually, with 14,000 completing the course on average.

“The government celebrates literacy day annually to inspire all Cambodians to pursue lifelong learning opportunities wherever they may find them,” he said.

He added that the ministry has focused on programmes for the general illiterate, and now programmes are being tailored to allow the formally illiterate to continue on to study at high school or in the field they desire.