December 23, 2025
PHNOM PENH – Cambodia’s Grade 5 students have made impressive gains in reading and mathematics over the past five years, signalling the impact of sustained educational reforms, coupled with post-pandemic recovery efforts.
Unfortunately, significant learning gaps persist for children from the poorest households, according to new regional assessment results released on December 22.
Findings from the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) show a marked improvement in foundational learning between 2019 and 2024.
“The proportion of Cambodian students achieving high proficiency in reading rose from 27 per cent to 39 per cent, while mathematics saw an even sharper increase, with 62 per cent of students now reaching high proficiency, up from 39 per cent five years earlier,” according to a joint press release.
“At the same time, the share of students performing at the lowest levels fell substantially,” it said.
Low-performing readers dropped from 47 per cent to 37 per cent, while the proportion of students struggling most in mathematics declined from 36 per cent to 20 per cent.
“These findings confirm Cambodia’s commitment to improving education quality and equity,” Minister of Education, Youth and Sport Hang Chuon Naron said.
He attributed the gains to increased investment in school infrastructure, teacher training, textbooks and modern teaching methods over the past decade.
However, he acknowledged that progress has been uneven.
“Challenges remain, especially learning gaps between rural and urban areas,” he said, adding that the ministry remains committed to working with partners to ensure improvements reach every child, particularly those in disadvantaged communities.
The SEA-PLM assessment tested 6,574 Grade 5 students from 195 schools across all 25 provinces.
Average reading scores rose from 290 to 296 points while mathematics scores climbed sharply, from 289 to 301 points, reflecting what officials described as the cumulative effect of five years of reforms and nationwide learning recovery, after Covid-19 disrupted schooling.
Despite overall progress, inequality linked to household income remains pronounced.
Students from the poorest families scored, on average, 16 points lower in reading and 20 lower in mathematics than their wealthier peers, underscoring persistent barriers to learning for vulnerable children.
“SEA-PLM 2024 shows Cambodia’s strong progress in foundational learning,” said Will Parks, UNICEF Representative in Cambodia.
“More Grade 5 students are performing at higher levels, while the share at the lowest levels has dropped sharply,” he added.
He said the gains reflect close cooperation between UNICEF and the education through early-grade learning programmes, teacher mentoring networks and targeted support for struggling learners.
“Yet equity gaps persist,” he added. “Students from the poorest households still score lower in reading and mathematics. UNICEF will continue working with the ministry and partners to close these gaps so every child can succeed.”
The assessment also found that girls continue to outperform boys in reading, although the gender gap has narrowed, while differences between urban and rural students have decreased compared with 2019.
Beyond academic performance, nearly three-quarters of students reported feeling worried about environmental challenges such as climate change, water shortages and the loss of natural resources, indicating growing awareness of global citizenship issues among young learners.
SEA-PLM is a regional assessment led by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) and UNICEF, providing comparable data on learning outcomes across Southeast Asia.
Cambodia has participated in both assessment cycles, in 2019 and 2024.
Education officials said the latest results will help guide implementation of the Education Strategic Plan 2024–2028, with a focus on early-grade learning, teacher development, digital platforms and 21st-century skills.