Students get textbooks amid Covid
THE Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport – supported by Sweden and UNICEF – are working to protect children’s education by providing textbooks in core subjects to prevent students from dropping out of school while their schools are being used as Covid-19 quarantine centres.
A joint press release from the education ministry, the Swedish government and UNICEF on February 24 said although the new academic year began on January 11, there are 13 primary schools, 18 lower secondary schools and 19 upper secondary schools in the north-western provinces of Battambang, Banteay Meanchey and Oddor Meanchey that could not open as scheduled.
It said those schools could not open because they are being used as quarantine sites for Cambodian migrant workers returning from Thailand as part of the government’s ongoing Covid-19 transmission prevention efforts.
The education ministry, it said, rapidly undertook an assessment of students needs who are currently unable to attend these schools and access
to textbooks was identified as one of the most pressing challenges while students are required to learn at home or another school nearby.
To address this challenge, UNICEF, with funding support from Sweden, has procured new textbooks for 50 primary, lower secondary and upper secondary schools.
These textbooks cover grades 1 through 12 in core subjects. A total of 35,055 textbooks will be distributed to students in the north-western provinces – helping 32,486 students to continue their studies.
Education minister Hang Chuon Naron said Cambodia
welcomes the additional support from UNICEF and Sweden for these schools and students in the border provinces.
He said despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, all efforts to keep children learning must be made while also making sure that they are safe from the virus.
Swedish ambassador to Cambodia, Bjorn Haggmark said education is a fundamental human right but Covid-19 continues to disrupt the schooling of thousands of children in Cambodia.
“Sweden is glad to assist Cambodia with this important emergency response – ensuring that girls and boys on the Covid-19 frontlines have adequate learning resources to continue their studies,” he said.
UNICEF Representative in Cambodia Foroogh Foyouzat said the urgency in responding to Covid-19 has often led to disruptions and that it was crucial to re-imagine education to fit these changing circumstances.
She said every child has the right to an education and concerted efforts are needed to see those rights fulfilled.
“I encourage the Royal Government of Cambodia to examine all other options to support the safe return of workers as using schools for quarantine centres should be a measure of last resort, so that school closures and their impacts are minimised,” she said.
According to Foyouzat, children’s education was severely impacted by the pandemic globally in 2020 by huge numbers of school closures.
She said UNICEF is advocating for the continuation of education around the world as well as rebuilding and reimagining the education system so that it serves all children and is more resistant to such shocks in the future.
THE National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) will join forces on the “Cambodia Supply Chain Finance Market Development” project and expand financial access for the Kingdom’s small and mediumsized enterprises (SME).
Rath Sovannorak, head of NBC’s General Directorate of Banking Supervision, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to that effect on February 24 at a virtual signing ceremony to assist the government in its effort to improve the environment for private sector development, NBC said in an announcement.
“Having seen the importance of [SMEs] in national economic improvement, this project is fully aligned with the key priority of promoting innovative credit products for SMEs set in the National Financial Inclusion Strategy 2019-2025.
“The result of this project will serve as a pathway for policysetting and improving [the] SME finance ecosystem in Cambodia through strengthening regulatory support, enhancing market knowledge and practice, and developing [a] favourable ecosystem,” it said.
Federation of Associations for Small and Medium Enterprise of Cambodia (FASMEC) president Te Taingpor told The Post that while financial institutions abound throughout the Kingdom, high collateral requirements are a major roadblock for
SMEs to access financing for their business expansions.
“We welcome any development partners and international organisations that help our local SMEs, especially when it comes to funding. The greater part of our SMEs only receive limited sums as the size of collateral requirements from banks or microfinance institutions [MFIs] to access funds continues to grow.
“I hope that cooperation between our central bank and IFC will be a new milestone in setting simple requirements for our SMEs to get more funding,” he said.
The government – through Small and Medium Enterprise Bank of Cambodia Plc (SME Bank) with a $150 million capital investment – is making an effort to support the Kingdom’s SMEs and provide them with low-interest loans.
Early in April, the Ministry of Economy and Finance rolled out its SMEs Co-Financing Scheme (SCFS): a joint venture between SME Bank and 23 commercial banks, two specialised banks and seven MFIs – five of which are microfinance deposit-taking institutions.
SMEs can borrow $200,000 for working capital and $300,000 for investment capital, at a seven per cent annual interest rate and a four year period of payment, the ministry said. “The collateral depends on the criteria of the financial institution. All SMEs can apply for a loan but they must be registered with the ministry.”