CAMBODIA: Education Ministry Planning Border School Bunkers

Posted by Asia Views | Mar 19, 2026 | 0 |

PhnomPenhPost-Mar 16, 2026

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport is preparing to construct protective bunkers at schools in high-risk border areas as part of broader efforts to safeguard students and teachers in the event of potential security threats. Ministry spokesperson Khuon Vicheka said the initiative reflects Cambodia’s experience with past conflicts and the need to remain prepared amid an uncertain regional and global security environment. “Cambodia loves peace. With the experience of past invasions, we cannot yet predict what will happen in the future, including the current global context,” she told The Post. “Therefore, preparing for a possible attack is a matter that the education ministry is paying close attention to,” she added. According to Vicheka, the ministry — with support from philanthropists — is preparing to construct 10 bunkers at selected schools located in accessible but high-risk areas along the border.

The protective structures are intended to provide students and staff with safe shelter if hostilities or security incidents occur nearby. She added that some schools in remote border locations remain difficult to access due to the presence of unexploded ordnance, posing additional safety challenges for both construction teams and local communities. Education minister Hang Chuon Naron recently inspected one such project during a visit to the site of a new school building and trench system at Kiriwan Senchey Primary School in Oddar Meanchey province. The school is currently building a five-classroom facility, funded by Prime Minister Hun Manet and First Lady Pich Chanmony. In addition, a protective bunker is being constructed with funding from the education ministry’s Solidarity Foundation. In four affected provinces — Banteay Meanchey Province, Preah Vihear Province, Oddar Meanchey Province and Pursat Province — authorities reported that 113 out of 1,311 schools remained closed as of early January 2026.

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EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

CAMBODIA: Education Ministry Planning Border School Bunkers

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