Background
The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) is the national authority responsible for setting policy and standards for primary education and the teacher workforce in Cambodia. The 2024 SEA-PLM assessment produced comparative data on foundational literacy and numeracy for Cambodian primary students.
On 18 May 2026, MoEYS Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Dr. Hang Chuon Naron led a delegation at the Education World Forum 2026 Ministerial Dialogue on Accelerating Foundational Learning in the United Kingdom and shared Cambodia’s SEA-PLM 2024 findings alongside ongoing policy responses. The ministry has described a package of regulatory and administrative measures aimed at improving teacher preparation, accreditation, remuneration, and school leadership as part of a system-level strategy to raise primary learning outcomes.
Scope of Application
The ministry’s measures target national primary education systems, including preservice teacher education institutions, contracted and civil-service teachers, school leadership bodies, and central HR systems. Proposed and implemented changes address teacher contracts and pay structures, pre-service and continuous professional development frameworks, national teacher licensing, minimum weekly working hours, and digital attendance and human-resources management integration.
Key Provisions or Decisions
- Reorganise teacher contract arrangements with a focus on improving conditions for contracted teachers and clarifying career pathways.
- Revise the teacher salary structure and introduce incentive payments to align compensation with national standards.
- Strengthen Pre-Service Teacher Education and Training (PRESET) to improve initial teacher preparation before deployment.
- Introduce a national teacher licensing mechanism to formalise professional recognition and standards for classroom teachers.
- Transform the Continuing Development Programme (CDP) into a national system for regular professional development.
- Enhance teacher accountability and school leadership through the School Reform Programme and by granting headteachers authority to implement teaching standards.
- Establish guidance on minimum weekly working hours in line with international benchmarks and procedures for monitoring digital attendance integrated with HRMIS and payroll records.
Implications for Investors, Businesses, or Compliance
Education providers, teacher training institutions, and local school administrations will need to align curricula, certification processes, and payroll systems with MoEYS policy changes. Compliance implications include adapting HRMIS links to attendance and salary lists and meeting new licensing and continuing professional development requirements for educators.
Official Source
Official statement and links posted by MoEYS: https://linktr.ee/moeyscambodia and https://www.facebook.com/moeys.gov.kh/posts/pfbid02GB8QVtve7xdbTdPSj4p2TXPyVPmjuDvH77WPJBLwHwJJDQi2JSFbZqqrjcqjgTxgl
