Cambodia

Where we work?

Oaktree and Kampuchean Action for Primary Education (KAPE) are working together on the Beacon Schools Initiative (BSI) in the provinces of Kampong Cham, Kratie and Siem Reap in Cambodia. These provinces have some of the worst education indices in Cambodia and KAPE will be working with some of the poorest and most disadvantaged youth to secure equitable access to quality education.

Who we work with?

Oaktree works with KAPE – a Cambodian NGO with a long history as one of the most respected local education NGOs. KAPE has previously partnered with UNICEF and USAID on multi-million dollar education projects and been heavily involved in the development of the national Child Friendly Schools education policy. KAPE continues to maintain an impressive working relationship with national and provincial government.

What are we doing?

Equitable access to quality education for the poor is a major challenge to the development of Cambodia – a nation still recovering from a tumultuous past and desperate for education solutions for its youth. KAPE will select 3 schools from some of the poorest provinces in Cambodia and, over the course of the BSI project, completely overhaul the school operation, management and curriculum to produce an institution of educational excellence for the poorest and most disadvantaged of Cambodian youth.

The most exciting element of this project is the inclusion of ‘public-private partnerships’ (PPP). PPP provides a greater role for the ‘private’ sector in managing schools, thus capturing all the benefits of private enterprise in school management. At the same time the PPP model maintains strong links with the ‘public’ sector. Under the BSI model, KAPE will utilise state land and state school buildings and cooperate with provincial government for the implementation of the project, but the management and operations of the school will be ‘hived off’ from government administration, enabling significant improvement in accountability and transparency.

Oaktree’s commitment to KAPE over the next 4 years will translate into at least 1350 direct student beneficiaries, as well the indirect benefits to teaching staff, student families and the school community. BSI will have a lasting impact on the lives of some of the poorest and most disadvantaged of Cambodian youth, who would otherwise not have had the opportunity to attend school at all, or alternatively a school of high quality.