Phnom Penh: Cambodia has marked National Literacy Day. Due to the current Covid-19 situation, the celebration and its literacy campaign have been held online. Prime Minister Hun Sen has released a statement, encouraging Cambodians to seek lifelong learning opportunities by any means. He says the Royal Government recently adopted the National Policy on Lifelong Learning, which aims to provide opportunities and support for those receiving an education, so that the kingdom can enjoy increased levels of efficiency.

“Literacy is the foundation of lifelong learning” is the theme for this year’s National Literacy Day. Prime Minister Hun Sen has emphasized that the government pays attention to the development of human resources by providing all young people with vocational training. He says this is aimed at giving every young person at least one life skill.

Despite Cambodia’s ongoing second wave of the pandemic, the Prime Minister says he promotes the continued education of students through different forms of learning. To this end, he recently instructed the Ministry of Education to sit down with capital and provincial governors to look at which schools could be reopened in areas with low infection rates. He fears that student dropouts could increase if schools remain closed for much longer.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has also encouraged students and youth organizations to be active in volunteering to teach illiterate people in their community at local centres and pagodas. He’s also encouraged monks and other religious leaders to promote cultural and moral education. The Prime Minister concluded by saying he believes being literate means being able to think and make the right decisions in life, which ultimately lead to greater community development.