Cambodia plans to expand six-hour school-day trials
The change could give students more class time, but rollout depends on schools’ capacity.
Tuesday 3 November · 18:01 · 1 min read
In 30 seconds
- Prime Minister Hun Manet said trial schools appeared to get better learning results with six-hour days than four-hour days. [1][2][3]
- Reports differ on the number of schools involved: two cite about 161, while another says more than 200. [1][2][3]
- The government says it will expand the program gradually and assess whether learning improves. [1][2][3]
What happened
Prime Minister Hun Manet said on November 3 that students in trial schools appeared to learn better with six-hour school days than with four-hour days. The six-hour plan is described as a “four hours plus two” schedule, with extra teaching time added to the usual four hours. He said the government would expand it gradually and check changes in students’ knowledge, including among weaker students. The reports say schools would use existing resources, while wider rollout requires suitable infrastructure and enough teachers.
Why it matters
If the extra time improves learning, students may get more explanation and practice during the school day, and may need less private tutoring. The reports say the plan is still being tested, and do not provide measured results across all schools.
Background
The government says the added time would focus on subjects including science, Khmer, mathematics and ethics. Hun Manet also said the program would be assessed for its effect on learning, rather than judged only by the number of hours added.
Key terms
- Four hours plus two
- A schedule that adds two hours of learning time to a usual four-hour school day.
- Trial
- A limited test of a program before deciding whether to expand it.
- Private tutoring
- Extra lessons outside regular school hours, often with a teacher or tutor.
Timeline
- ថ្ងៃទី៣ ខែវិច្ឆិកា ឆ្នាំ២០២៦ Hun Manet announced the trial’s reported results and said the government plans gradual expansion.
Sources (3)
[1] Kohsantepheap Daily សម្តេចធិបតី ៖ តាមការសិក្សាសិស្សរៀន៦ម៉ោងពីរវេន មានភាពល្អប្រសើរជាងការរៀន៤ម៉ោង ក្នុងការលើកកម្ពស់គុណភាពអប់រំ 3 Nov Read original [2] Fresh News សម្តេចធិបតី ហ៊ុន ម៉ាណែត៖ តាមការសិក្សាសិស្សរៀន ៦ម៉ោង ពីរវេន មានភាពល្អប្រសើរជាងការរៀន៤ម៉ោង, បច្ចុប្បន្នសាលាប្រមាណ ១៦១សាលា កំពុងអនុវត្តកម្មវិធីសិក្សា៦ម៉ោង (Video inside) 3 Nov Read original [3] Kampuchea Thmey សាលារៀនជាង២០០ទូទាំងប្រទេស កំពុងសាកល្បងបង្កើនម៉ោងសិក្សាពី៤ម៉ោងដល់៦ម៉ោង 3 Nov Read originalWas this explainer clear?
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