Detailed Action Plan Introduced for Violence-Free Schools

AKP Phnom Penh, July 23, 2018 —

Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports has disseminated a five-year action plan to further prevent children from violence at school.

Secretary of State H.E. Nath Bunroeun chaired the dissemination workshop taking place recently here in Phnom Penh and attended by representatives from all ministry’s capital and provincial departments, Cambodia National Council for Children (CNCC), and development partners.

The 2019-2023 action plan is guided by the child protection policy adopted by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports in 2016, said H.E. Nath Bunroeun.

Thanks to continuing support from development partners such Child Rights Foundation, Plan International, Child Fund, and UNICEF, we have developed these detailed actions so that children are well protected and safe in public and private educational settings, he continued.

Child protection expert Mr. Ty Sovannary echoed the importance of the action plan adding that it will not only allow safe learning environment, but also promote equal opportunity among children.

Some children are very potential, but fear of teacher’s penalty verbally or physically may force them to skip class sessions or even drop out, so they lose the opportunity to release their full potential, he explained.

Royal Government of Cambodia in cooperation with development stakeholders as well as private sector has made a lot of progress to promote child-friendly learning environment, and support legal tools and policies are in place, yet it goes down to individual level especially teachers to ensure violence-free schools.

By Mom Chandara Soleil