Thong SEM, age 16, attends Chum Kriel Primary School and is in the sixth grade. Thong’s parents got divorced when he was over a year old, leaving him an orphan. He resides in Kampot province with his grandpa, a poor farmer in the ChumKriel commune of the Toek Chhou district. Thong has a hard time getting to school because it is over three kilometres away along treacherous terrain. His grandfather occasionally drove him to school, and they walked or rode bikes together on other occasions. Unfortunately, his grandparents were unable to provide him with a bicycle so that he could ride it to class. Because of this, Thong was frequently absent and tardy to class.
Thong would arrive at school late and on occasion, and he would have to trek across the dikes in the rice fields to get there if not for the intervention of the Cambodian Consortium for Out of School Children (CCOOSC), which provided bicycles. His grandma is a housewife who cannot walk very far, but his grandfather went to work in a salt field after he finished in the rice field. Thong’s grandfather does not make enough money to pay for his education. Thong’s proficiency in Khmer is low, falling somewhere in the 20s, and he’s also not very good at other topics. Due to familial issues, he was absent from school frequently and, on occasion, even resisted going.
Thong had been going to school late and on the sly, having to make his way through the dikes in the rice fields on foot before the CCOOOSC’s provision of a bicycle for him. While his grandma is a housewife who cannot walk far, his grandfather went from working in the rice field to collecting salt for a local merchant. The grandfather’s meager income makes it impossible for Thong to continue his education. Thong’s proficiency in Khmer is low, falling somewhere in the 20s, and he’s also not very good at other topics. Due to familial issues, he was absent from school frequently and, on occasion, even resisted going.
Thong’s classroom teacher and the principal both constantly push him to do his best. Thong has resumed his regular attendance at school after a lengthy absence. “Thong is very happy because it is not as difficult to travel to school as it was before,” said Mr. Chhim Ngeav, director of Hun Sen Marico Chum Kriel Primary.
Supporting parent meetings, school management, early warning systems (EWS), scholarship material and in-kind, school renovations, libraries, providing technical and financial support to community preschools, repairing and constructing toilets, and expanding access to quality education for fisherfolk are just some of the ways in which we strive to improve educational opportunities for the fishing community. Children in prioritised locations., This will lead to a rise in student enrollment and improved educational outcomes for kids. Thong, despite being an orphan, has a difficult time staying motivated to study and needs a lot of help financially.
