Improving Lifelong Learning Project by Improving the Quality of Education for Out-of-School Children in Northeastern Region of Cambodia (EQUAL-i3L) has been renamed from the Enhancing Quality Learning for Out of School Children (EQUAL) since16 August 2024 in Phnom Penh, held a Project Disseminate and Implementation Update Workshop in Borkeo and Ochum districts, Ratanakkiri province.

The purpose of this workshop was to disseminate project profile to stakeholders to find out about project renaming and update project implementation in order to seek support, facilitations and cooperation from all stakeholders to implement the project successfully. This workshop organized participants to form discussion groups and find new strategies to present to the whole workshop, especially strategies to implement project and solutions when challenges happen.

The EQUAL-i3L project aims to Increase the quality of teaching and learning of marginalized Children, Adolescents, and Young People (CAY) particularly and CAY with disabilities, (Sponsored Child, minority, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Intersex and Queer, Plus (LGBTIQ+)) on numeracy and literacy and have transitioned successfully from primary to lower secondary levels.

The EQUAL-i3L project will be implemented in the target areas consisting of ​​25 schools and will expand to 45 local schools in three districts including Borkeo, Andaung Meas and O'Chum districts in Ratanakkiri province. Among the schools supported by the project, there are 40 primary schools and 5 secondary schools. The project implementation will address the challenges related to the quality of education, improve the quality of teaching and learning of children with disabilities and young people with disabilities, especially Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Intersex and Queer (LGBTIQ+) on literacy numbers. So, they can successfully transition from primary to lower secondary level. The project will be responding the challenges such as according to education statistics in Ratanakkiri province in the 2022-23 school year, the survival rate of primary school students is 61.75%, lower secondary education 39.64% and upper secondary education is 21.22%. The graduation rate in primary school is 89.91%, lower secondary school is 50.49% and high school is 28.34%. The school-to-school transfer rate is 79.7% for lower secondary school and 82.90% for upper secondary school. The dropout rate at the primary level is 9.6%, at the lower secondary level 17.5% and at the upper secondary level 13.8%. Thus, the project is required to improve.

“I am pleased that KAPE has implemented the EQUAL-i3L project in Ochum district by providing technical assistance such as teaching methods as part of the promotion in relation to model standard schools. I will encourage to make collaboration and stakeholder engagement to make the project a success,” said Mr. Kam Vandy, the Director of Primary Office of Education of the Provincial Office of Education, Youth and Sport of Ratanakiri standing on the podieum.

There were 62 participants (10 females) in this workshop, including Governor of Borkeo District Board of Governors, Governor of Andaung Meas and Deputy District Governor, Provincial Office of Education, Youth and Sports, District Office of Education, Youth and Sports, School Management Committee Chairman and Commune council chairpersons from the project's 25 target schools in three districts: Borkeo, Andaung Meas and Ochum.

“I am very happy that KAPE has continued its project called Improving Lifelong Learning in this second phase in Andaung Meas and Borkeo districts. I am going to inform the commune, school principals, teachers and stakeholders to cooperate and make every effort to make the project successfully,” said Mr. Kang Saroeun, the Governor of Borkeo district during the workshop.

The EQUAL-i3L project is funded by Plan International and implemented by KAPE for three years, from 2024 to 2027.