Private schools agreed with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport to reopen campuses last Tuesday in the second phase after they were advised to ensure proper safety standards were in place.

Cambodian Higher Education Association chairman Heng Vanda told The Post on Wednesday that after the meeting with owners of private institutions, who are members of his association, all agreed to follow the ministry’s advice on reopening schools and following standard measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

“What we wanted to clarify with the ministry was distance in the classroom. Some classes are small and some are big. What is the standard distance? How many students in each class?

“The specific answer from the ministry is clear and the maximum number of students in each class is 25 regardless of the size,” he said.

School vans will no longer transport students like before and canteens are to be closed, said Vanda.

On September 1, Minister Hang Chuon Naron announced that private schools have to follow a standard operating procedure (SOP).

“For keeping distance in schools, tables and seats must be 1.5m apart. Each class must not have more than 25 students,” Chuon Naron said.

To reopen, private schools have to request an application and allow teams from the ministry to check schools.

They have to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the ministry about reopening in the second stage. The ministry will then release a permission letter for operation, Chuon Naron said.

Ministry spokesman Ros Soveacha said it is thankful to all institutions for their cooperation.

There are 1,426 private schools (kindergarten to grade 12) in the Kingdom, he said.

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