Khmer School

On an earlier blog, I mentioned the low percentage of children who do not continue their education past the ninth grade. But on a more positive note, there are many children every day making their way to school. The modes of travel are similar to those back home, however, a whee bit more interesting. As you can see from the pictures, all schools have a mandatory uniform dress code. It sure makes each child neat looking and all appear very clean and tidy. I’m curious about books because I don’t see them carrying any to and from school. There is a school near our home that I have walked by on occasion and watched them exercise outside on the school grounds. There are schools all over the city, some private and some public. Either one, the student has to pay a small fee to be tutored everyday.
I would find it very interesting to observe a normal day at school. The children attend a primary school for six years. The intermediate grades are for three years and then high school is for four years. The higher levels involve higher fees, and so the students drop out who can not afford to go. Following high school, there are many universities available to attend. Here is where we have a slight difference from our system. Students pick a university based on what they want to study. A particular university specializes in business, or language, or marketing, etc. Most of the students who come here to improve their English language skills are attending another university. As in the states, they know a better education will help them get a better job opportunity.