QFFD, Education Above All Foundation to Educate 100,000 Cambodian Children

Doha, November 23 (QNA) Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) 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 QFFD Director General Khalifa bin Jassim Al Kuwari and HE Minister of Education, Youth and Sports in Cambodia Dr. Hang Chhuon Naron. Signing ceremony for the agreement was further attended by HE Qatar's non-resident Ambassador to Cambodia Mohammed Ismail Al Emadi, and CEO of the EAA Fahd bin Hamad Al Sulaiti. Under this project, more than 116,000 children will be reached in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and 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, scholarships, in-kind support and livelihood support for families will be supported. Schools will be constructed and rehabilitated. The program 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. Director General of the QFFD Khalifa bin Jassim Al Kuwari 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". "This program seeks to develop schools for children deprived of education in Southeast Asia. Its 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" he added. CEO of the EAA Fahd bin Hamad Al Sulaiti stated that 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 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 labor 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 said. It is also worth noting that this project aims to support the United Nations SDGs. This is through a multidimensional approach, including: Quality Education, Gender Equality, Reducing Inequality and Partnership for the Goals. Studies of the UNESCO have shown that there are about 190,043 children out of school of primary school age in Cambodia. Within the framework of the project, children who are tentatively eligible to benefit from these projects will be identified through participatory community mapping campaigns. (QNA)