Cambodia ruling party dangles jobs, new schools ahead of vote
PHNOM PENH: Cambodia’s ruling party has thrown resources at a weak education system ahead of elections on Sunday as it tries to entice young voters and drain resentment over low-paying jobs.
The school system was destroyed in the 1970s by the Khmer Rouge, who executed teachers as perceived enemies of the hardline communist regime. Despite efforts to rebuild, standards still lag behind Cambodia’s neighbours.
Now, strongman Prime Minister Hun Sen is promising schooling for all, hiking education spending to US$850 million (RM3.4 billion) this year, a record quarter of the overall government budget.
“I want every district to have a high school, every commune a junior school and every village a primary school,” he said in a recent campaign speech.
He is all but guaranteed to extend his 33-year grip on power in the polls after a crackdown on dissent in the run-up to the vote.
But in a country where a third of the 15 million population is aged under 30, he has also carefully targeted his appeal.
He speaks regularly at graduation ceremonies, promising jobs and opportunity to thousands of young people nervous about their futures in a country reliant on low-skilled labour.
Some 300,000 Cambodians enter the job market each year, often without qualifications, according to the United Nations.