Ministry sets January start date for all Kindergartens
THE Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport has announced that the school year for kindergartens and other educational facilities for young children is to begin on January 2, the same start date as for primary, secondary and high schools.
The ministry has also advised parents and guardians as to the importance of children attending kindergarten as preparation for starting primary school.
“All kindergartens, community kindergartens and young child education providers must prepare their institution carefully by following the Standard Operating Procedures for School Reopening in the Context of Covid-19,” said minister Hang Chuon Naron in the notice.
Chuon Naron also urged authorities to run campaigns to ensure the parents and guardians of children aged 3 to 5 are aware of the start date of the new school year for kindergartens, such as by placing banners in public places.
Registration runs from December 15-31.
The ministry has set the 2022-2023 school year for meeting the educational strategic plan’s target of 63.1 per cent attendance for five-yearold children, 36.3 per cent for those aged four, and 14.1 per cent for children aged three.
The ministry said the target is to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) 2030 of ensuring that all girls and boys have access to preschool education, quality care and development, and be ready for primary school.
Focusing on five subjects – physical health, language, intelligence, social and emotional thinking, and the development of morality and culture – the school year will run from January 2 to November 30.
The core subjects are based on psychology, science, social studies, pre-mathematics and the Khmer language, the ministry said.
Kindergartens are not allowed to close during the school year without permission from the ministry, it added.
In the case of an emergency, such as fire or flooding, the director of the kindergarten must report to the ministry before any temporary closure.
All schools must strictly follow the education calendar and not get ahead of the timetable, it added.
According to the ministry, some 350,000 children were enrolled in around 8,000 state and privately-owned kindergartens across the country in the 2020-2021 school year.
Tak Hab, director of the Kampot education department, said there are more than 200 kindergartens in the province ready for the enrolment of new children.
“We have run announcements across the province to raise awareness about the new school year for young children and primary schools.
“Kindergartens in Kampot are situated on the same site as primary schools, so on January 2 the school year will begin at both levels at the same time,” he said.