To support Education Above All Foundation’s project aimed at improving access to equitable and high-quality education in Cambodia
Doha, (23 November 2020) – Qatar Fund for Development has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports in Cambodia to support the implementation of Education Above All Foundation’s (EAA) project aimed at improving access to equitable quality education in Cambodia.
The virtual agreement was signed by a representative of the QFFD, HE Khalifa bin Jassim Al-Kuwari, Director General, and HE Dr. Hang Chhuon Naron, Minister of Education, Youth and Sports in Cambodia. Signing ceremony for the agreement was further attended by Qatar’s Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, H.E. Mohammed Ismail Al-Emadi, and Mr. Fahd bin Hamad Al-Sulaiti, CEO of EAA.
About the agreement and its relevance, H.E. Khalifa bin Jassim Al- Kuwari, Director General of the QFFD, said, “The MOU, which was concluded between the QFFD and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports in Cambodia, aims to support a phased educational project for a program to improve access to equitable and high-quality education for children in Cambodia. It will be implemented by our strategic partner EAA. This programme seeks to develop schools for children deprived of education in Southeast Asia. It further targets more than 100,000 Cambodian children out of school. We hope that it will have results in increasing the number of children deprived of primary education in remote areas where schools are only long-distance walking of more than two and a half hours.”
It is worth mentioning that Education Above All Foundation, though its programme Educate a Child, in partnership with United Nations, global, international and local organizations, provides educational opportunities and quality education for children from vulnerable and marginalized groups deprived of primary education, especially in areas of poverty, conflict and natural disasters. Studies of the UNESCO have shown that there are about 190,043 children out of school of primary school age in Cambodia. In the second phase of this project, more than half of them (116,396) will be reached in cooperation with the Cambodian Consortium for Out-of-School Children. Schools in twenty-five provinces in Cambodia will be supported through the projects’ focus on equitable access, quality education, ownership and accountability. The project’s interventions will be implemented jointly with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports in Cambodia. The project’s interventions, scholarships, in-kind support and livelihood support for families will be supported. Schools will be constructed and rehabilitated. The programme additionally aims to train teachers, provide educational materials and build learning and educational capacities of the players in education to meet the needs of special population groups.
On the support provided by the QFFD to implement education projects in Cambodia, Fahd bin Hamad Al- Sulaiti, CEO of the EAA, stated, “The Qatar Fund for Development’s support for education projects in Cambodia is a support for the right of children deprived of education as well as supporting a program to improve access to equitable and high-quality education in Cambodia. It is a key step in our continuous efforts to support registering children, providing educational opportunities and quality education for those who are deprived of primary education, especially for vulnerable and marginalized groups in Cambodia.”
“Despite the real progress that Cambodia has witnessed in achieving universal primary education, the sector still faces multiple challenges, including migration, child labour and poverty that threaten the gains achieved during the initial phase of the project” he added. “We are pleased to be working with a strong consortium of global partners that take decisive steps towards capacity building. Al-Sulaiti further added.
It is also worth noting that this project aims to support the United Nations SDGs. This is through a multidimensional approach, including: Quality Education (SDG 4), Gender Equality (SDG 5), Reducing Inequality (SDG 10) and Partnership for the Goals (SDG 17).
ENDS
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Education Above All (EAA) Foundation
The Education Above All (EAA) Foundation is a global education foundation established in 2012 by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. EAA envisions bringing hope and real opportunity to the lives of impoverished and marginalised children, youth and women, especially in the developing world and in dire circumstances such as conflict situations and natural disasters. We believe that education is the single most effective means of reducing poverty, generating economic growth and creating peaceful and just societies, as well as a fundamental right for all children and an essential condition to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For more information, visit educationaboveall.org.
EAA is comprised of four programmes: Educate A Child (EAC), Al Fakhoora, Reach Out To Asia (ROTA), and Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict (PEIC). In addition to providing access to education for children around the world, EAA advocates to safeguard inclusive and quality education for all.