The educational landscape in Cambodia was changed dramatically following the end of the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979, with up to 75 per cent of educators killed, leaving a devastated educational system at all levels. Following a decade of Vietnamese rule and the subsequent re-establishment of the Kingdom of Cambodia in 1993, education was delivered by largely under-qualified teachers and encompassed a half-day school programme, arguably leaving insufficient time to cover a robust curriculum. While some schools are transitioning to full-day programmes, many families are reliant on participating in the shadow education system, paying informal fees to teachers to supplement the half-day programme. Alternatively, some families send their children to an alternative school, creating space for private actors to supplement state education.
The aim of the research is to explore the perceptions of some employees of not-for-profit non-governmental organisation (NGO) schools on their supplementation (or replacement) of the state offering, through 51 semi-structured in-person interviews. The data are analysed through reflexive thematic analysis to identify perceived benefits and challenges to sharing responsibility for primary education with the state, and to highlight how these private curricula are designed and delivered. This builds upon emerging research on the Cambodian not-for-profit private education system, potentially informing state practice and contributing to wider discourse on public-private partnerships (PPPs) in education.
