U.S. Embassy Chargé d’ Affaires, a.i. Jeff Daigle visited students at Anuwat Primary and Lower Secondary School in Kampong Cham province.  The school is one of the 292 schools participating in the Improved Basic Education in Cambodia (IBEC) Project, a $10 million initiative funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Chargé Daigle, joined by Cambodian Minister of Education Hang Chuon Naron and USAID Cambodia Mission Director Rebecca Black, visited the school to highlight the positive impact of the IBEC Project on improving the quality of and access to education in Cambodia. 

During the visit, students showed the delegation the computer laboratory, library, and life skills activities that the IBEC project supports.  Chargé Daigle reaffirmed to the students the U.S. government’s commitment to helping Cambodia strengthen its primary and secondary school systems.  He said, “We support the Royal Government’s goal to create ‘child friendly’ schools through an enhanced learning environment that helps young Cambodians become better students and productive citizens.”

Implemented by World Education, IBEC employs cost-effective and energy efficient computer laboratories to facilitate the learning process, encourages parents and students with the surrounding community to solve local problems, and offers life skill modules for teachers to use in the classroom.  In addition, the IBEC Project has trained hundreds of teachers and school directors to improve their teaching, management, and leadership skills.  The project has improved education quality for 130,000 students in Siem Reap, Kampong Cham, and Kratie provinces.