PhnomPenhPost-Oct 17, 2022
Prime Minister Hun Sen encouraged female students to pursue their education, regardless of whether they marry and have children, noting that the number of women pursuing postgraduate degrees and doctorates has decreased sharply compared to their male counterparts. Hun Sen made the call at the graduation ceremony of over 6,000 students, over 3,500 of them female, from the National University of Management. He noted that there are now more female graduates at high school, bachelor and associate degree levels, but the number is significantly lower at master’s degree and doctorate levels. The decline in the number of female students pursuing post-graduate education was partially due to Khmer tradition, he said, rather than with any other obstacles. The premier said the development of any nation requires the strongest possible human resources, so this gap should not be overlooked. According to a report by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, the national education strategy plan has effectively responded to gender gaps in the education sector, with the gaps having reduced significantly, especially at the primary, secondary and high school levels.
The report noted that in the 2020-2021 academic year, the number of female students who passed grades 9 and 12 examinations accounted for 53 and 54 per cent, respectively. And almost 60 per cent of the A-grade students at these levels were female, it added. Women’s affairs minister Ing Kantha Phavi reiterated that the government is focused on providing women with the opportunity to succeed. Traditional society was male dominated, and this had been compounded by three decades of civil war, leaving women vulnerable, she said. Read more at: https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/women-urged-pursue-postgraduate-education
