PHNOM PENH: Two million students in rural Cambodia are unable to access the government's online education programmes launched after schools were closed due to Covid-19.
The students were left out of the e-Learning and Distance Learning programmes because they did not have smartphones or their homes lacked satellite dishes to receive broadcasts.
When the Phnom Penh Post attempted to substantiate this, Education, Youth and Sport Ministry spokesman Ros Soveacha did not confirm or deny the figure. He said the ministry did not have plans to help rural students access its learning programmes via smartphones or television.
"The ministry encourages students who cannot study through smartphones and television to learn with those who have such equipment.
"For families that do not have televisions yet, the ministry encourages them to follow the educational programmes at their neighbour's houses with less than 10 people and practise hygiene measures."
However Cambodian Independent Teachers' Association president Ouk Chhayavy said that was not enough as many students in rural areas did not have television sets.
"Even I as a teacher do not have a computer or television at home. What about people who do not have money? They work hard to survive daily, how will they afford a television set?
"The distance learning will fail because many students cannot access it. And even if they can, they don't have the encouragement to study as their parents are poor and they need to help them earn an income."