About

Background

Most Cambodians consider themselves to be Khmers, descendants of the Angkor Empire that extended over much of Southeast Asia and reached its zenith between the 10th and 13th centuries. Attacks by the Thai and Cham (from present-day Vietnam) weakened the empire, ushering in a long period of decline. The king placed the country under French protection in 1863 and it became part of French Indochina in 1887.
Following Japanese occupation in World War II, Cambodia gained full independence from France in 1953. In April 1975, after a five-year struggle, Communist Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh and evacuated all cities and towns. At least 1.5 million Cambodians died from execution, forced hardships, or starvation during the Khmer Rouge regime under POL POT. A December 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside, began a 10-year Vietnamese occupation, and touched off almost 13 years of civil war.
The 1991 Paris Peace Accords mandated democratic elections and a ceasefire, which was not fully respected by the Khmer Rouge. UN-sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore some semblance of normalcy under a coalition government. Factional fighting in 1997 ended the first coalition government, but a second round of national elections in 1998 led to the formation of another coalition government and renewed political stability. The remaining elements of the Khmer Rouge surrendered in early 1999. Some of the surviving Khmer Rouge leaders are awaiting trial by a UN-sponsored tribunal for crimes against humanity.
Elections in July 2003 were relatively peaceful, but it took one year of negotiations between contending political parties before a coalition government was formed. In October 2004, King Norodom SIHANOUK abdicated the throne and his son, Prince Norodom SIHAMONI, was selected to succeed him. Local elections were held in Cambodia in April 2007, and there was little in the way of pre-election violence that preceded prior elections. National elections in July 2008 were relatively peaceful.

Geography

People

Government

Education:

Although Cambodia has made considerable progress in expanding basic education in recent years, high drop-out and low retention rates and an acute shortage of trained teachers, especially in remote rural areas, remain major concerns. The number of primary teachers has increased by only 7 percent since 1993, compared with a 67 percent increase in enrolment, resulting in a high pupil-teacher ratio of 56:1 [EMIS, 2005/2006]. A key factor contributing to high drop-out and low retention rates is the high proportion �40.5 percent �of “incomplete�schools, which are unable to offer the full six years of primary education.

With the abolition of school fees in 2001, the primary school net enrolment rate has increased significantly over the past few years, though enrolment rates remain relatively low in Rotanak Kiri, Mondol Kiri and Kaoh Kong.

According to Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) data, WFP’s School Feeding Programme has had a positive impact on the net enrolment rate of students in WFP-assisted primary schools. In the 2005-2006 school year the net enrolment rate for districts covered by WFP was 92 percent (91.23 percent for female pupils), while the nationwide net enrolment rate was 91.3 percent. The attendance rate for the 2005-2006 academic year was also very high. In 2005-2006, girls in all WFP-assisted schools attended 97.5 percent of the school days, while boys attended 97 percent.  In 2005-2006, out of the total number of children in grade 6 enrolled in WFP-supported schools, 91.89 percent of girls and 90.29 percent of boys successfully completed and passed grade 6. The gender ratio increased from 0.82 to 0.92 in existing schools, and from 0.86 to 0.95 in new schools, during the academic years 2003-2004 and 2005-2006, respectively. This represents an increase of 10 girls for every 100 boys in existing schools and 9 girls for every 100 boys in new schools.

The problems that hamper increased education enrolment are multifaceted. Poverty is naturally the biggest obstacle to the education of children particularly in rural areas. The children of the poor are deprived of their opportunities for schooling because they are needed for household chores or income earning jobs to support the families and their young siblings. Other reasons for limited schooling among children of the poor include the inability of the household to pay for school uniforms / books, children needed at home and distance to school, among others. Thus any intervention aimed at increasing education opportunities would have to address poverty (and vice-versa).

The UNDP Human Development Report for 2007, while noting that the Cambodian government has made considerable progress over the 6-year period of 1998 �2004, warns that “real achievements in education remain elusive� If Cambodia is to meet its Millennium Development Goal Target then the progress achieved over the past five years needs to be maintained and increased.

Economy - overview:

From 2001 to 2004, the economy grew more than 6% per year, driven largely by an expansion in the garment sector and tourism. With the January 2005 expiration of a WTO Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, Cambodian textile producers were forced to compete directly with lower-priced countries such as China and India. The garment industry currently employs more than 350,000 people and contributes more than 70% of Cambodia's exports.
In 2005, exploitable oil and natural gas deposits were found beneath Cambodia's territorial waters, representing a new revenue stream for the government if commercial extraction begins. Mining also is attracting significant investor interest, particularly in the northeastern parts of the country, and the government has said opportunities exist for mining bauxite, gold, iron and gems.
In 2006, a US-Cambodia bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) was signed and the first round of discussions took place in early 2007.
The tourism industry has continued to grow rapidly, with foreign arrivals reaching 2 million in 2007, however, economic troubles abroad will dampen growth in 2009. The global financial crisis is weakening demand for Cambodian exports, and construction is declining due to a shortage of credit. The long-term development of the economy remains a daunting challenge. The Cambodian government is working with bilateral and multilateral donors, including the World Bank and IMF, to address the country's many pressing needs.
The major economic challenge for Cambodia over the next decade will be fashioning an economic environment in which the private sector can create enough jobs to handle Cambodia's demographic imbalance.
More than 50% of the population is less than 21 years old. The population lacks education and productive skills, particularly in the poverty-ridden countryside, which suffers from an almost total lack of basic infrastructure.