PHNOM PENH: The Royal Government is considering building dormitories for female students in the capital and in the provinces to provide a place for female students to stay and study, in an effort to increase the number of female human resources at the tertiary level.

Prime Minister Hun Sen shared this consideration during the graduation ceremony for 3,232 graduates of Western University on Thursday morning, 26 January 2023, at the Chroy Changvar International Convention and Exhibition Center.

"I'm looking to build a dormitory somewhere, in addition to the existing dormitories, maybe we will start preparing dormitories for female students and poor students," he said.

The Prime Minister stated that this is an investment that will receive a huge return and is the kind of thing the government pays attention to, in the same manner as what parents give to their children.

Raya, a recent graduate in marketing from Western University, shared that she thinks this is a good initiative which will help boost the studies of female students.

"This is a good development that helps our Cambodian people, helps children, as well as women who have problems, so they have the opportunity to continue to develop themselves," she said.

Another recent graduate student, Phal Dany, said she thinks this initiative will help provide more safe places for female students to stay.

"I think this is good because sometimes when [female students] come to Phnom Penh, they need a safe place to stay that is near their school," she said.

According to a Western University report received by the Prime Minister, female students made up more than 55% of those who received associate degrees, more than 60% of those who received undergraduate students, while the number of female students receiving master's degrees dropped to just over 38%.

The Prime Minister stressed that Cambodia must find a way to respond to this decline in the number of female students receiving postgraduate degrees.