Cambodia is a proud nation with a difficult history. It was a French colony from 1863 to 1953. The
country is known to the world both for its ancient civilizations in Asia during the Angkor period
(9th-15th centuries), and also for the killing fields during the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-79).
Political turmoil and civil conflicts during the 1970s and 1980s meant Cambodia became one of the
least developed nations in Asia. The Khmer Rouge period caused the vast destruction of human
capital and socio-cultural structures, when over half of the educated population were killed or fled
the country. During the Khmer Rouge regime, the formal education system was demolished.
Universities and schools were closed, around 80% of teachers and educators were killed or fled the
country, books and instructional materials were destroyed, and educational buildings were left to
decay (MoEYS 2010). After the 1993 general election, sponsored by the United Nations, attention
turned to reconstruction and the rehabilitation of all kinds of infrastructure, including human
resources development. The early 1990s saw the establishment of many institutions critical to a
democratic state, including a functioning and restructured education system.
Cambodia is now a liberal democratic and pluralistic country with a constitutional monarchy and
has enjoyed full peace since 1998. Its population in 2011 was estimated to be around 14.5 million.
The labour force participation rate is about 87%, and about 90% of all employment is in the
agriculture sector (Cambodia National Institute of Statistics, 2012). The economy is expanding
rapidly, with an average annual rate of growth of 11% over the period from 2004 to 2007, and an
average annual growth rate of 6.7% over the period from 2010 to 2012.1 Persistent strong growth
rates over two decades have helped raise living standards and are enabling the more rapid
development of physical infrastructure and basic social services. GDP per capita increased to
USD 830 in 2010, from only USD 286 in 1999 and USD 934 in 2012. The population living on less
than USD 1.25 per day was 22.8% in 2008 (ADB, 2012). However, a World Bank Regional Report2 in
2012 still classified Cambodia as having the lowest GDP per capita levels in the Southeast Asian
region, along with Lao PDR.