Preschool rooms planned to lift early education uptake in remote Cambodia

Six new preschool rooms for community-based early childhood centres are planned in isolated parts of Preah Vihear and Ratanakiri provinces through a collaboration between UNICEF Cambodia and the Kang Meng Huy Foundation. The move responds to a national gap in early childhood education, with over half of Cambodian children aged three to five not attending preschool.

According to a joint statement released on October 2, the rooms are expected to serve about 150 children each year in areas where preschool facilities are scarce and government services are difficult to reach.

The two organisations have signed a contribution agreement covering construction support, child-sized furniture, learning materials and playground equipment designed for young children.

Preschool participation remains low across Cambodia. The statement said just 43 per cent of children in the three-to-five age group are enrolled, meaning many enter primary school without basic early learning foundations.

UNICEF Representative to Cambodia Maha Damaj said early learning matters far beyond the first years of schooling, shaping children's long-term development and their ability to contribute to their communities.

Community preschools are a key route to early education in rural areas, especially where state provision is limited. Cambodia currently has more than 4,300 community preschools nationwide.

However, the quality of these centres differs widely, and some operate in temporary or unsuitable spaces that lack safe and stimulating materials for play and learning.

The planned rooms will help reduce some of these gaps in the two provinces. Each site will receive tables and chairs sized for young children, teaching aids, age-appropriate learning resources and playground equipment.

These resources are intended to encourage learning through play, helping children build cognitive, social, emotional and physical skills as they explore and interact with their surroundings.

The partnership aims to raise preschool enrolment in the targeted communities and improve the learning spaces available to children.

The Kang Meng Huy Foundation is the community-impact arm of ISI Group. Group chairman Kang Leng said the collaboration with UNICEF Cambodia would help extend quality early childhood education and give children in underserved areas a stronger start.

The project also supports UNICEF's broader work with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport to expand community preschool enrolment and strengthen teaching quality. That work includes building teachers' skills and providing materials that enable learning through play.

Although the new rooms are expected to benefit 150 children annually, the national enrolment figure highlights the wider challenge of ensuring young children can access early education before primary school.

The joint statement did not disclose the agreement's value, the specific communities selected, the construction timeline, or plans for staffing and ongoing operating costs.