A Full-Day Learning Program Implementation in Cambodia: Innovation from the Local Schools
Keywords:
Education reform, Full-day learning programs, Educational policy, School developmentAbstract
This study pursued two objectives: (1) to identify the current state of implementing full-day learning programs, and (2) to share innovations and requirements for their implementation in Cambodian local schools. An explanatory research design was employed, integrating both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Quantitative data were collected through a 2024 survey of 1,648 and analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation). Qualitative data were obtained from semi-structured interviews, coded, and examined through thematic analysis. The findings revealed that approximately 1,045 schools across three sub-sectors were potentially implementing full-day learning programs, while 204 had already adopted them. Challenges included insufficient classrooms (37%), teacher shortages (24%), inactive community participation (9%), lack of specialized staff (13%), heavy workloads (6%), inadequate incentives (5%), absence of clear master plans (4%), and other minor issues (2%). Despite these constraints, best practices emerged among schools receiving technical and academic support from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) and the Royal University of Phnom Penh. Within the framework of school-based management and community engagement strategies, schools developed supported factors and activities that facilitated student participation and strengthened the implementation of full-day learning programs.
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