PHNOM PENH: The Ministry of Education has instructed all educational institutions and stakeholders to disseminate the ‘true meaning’ of Valentine's Day to parents, to strengthen discipline, promote "peer education" activities, and to provide and receive information regarding irregular activities committed by students to encourage timely improvement on their actions.

In an instruction released by the Ministry of Education on Friday, it states that the Ministry has observed that a small number of students misunderstood Valentine's Day (14 February) as a day for going on dates between couples. The instruction states that a small number of young people have acted foolishly, forgotten their studies, lost their dignity to their families, and left Khmer culture and traditions.

"This day is not a tradition of our Cambodian people," said the Ministry of Education.

The Ministry calls on the Provincial Department of Education, Youth and Sports, the Board of Education and all relevant parties to continue to strengthen the internal regulations for primary schools, and the internal regulations for public secondary schools, to be more effective on 14 February.