Examining improvements to girls’education in Cambodia through a gender-responsive lens

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Callum

Examines how Cambodia has improved girls’ education since 2002 through government policies and gender-responsive schooling reforms. Highlights outcomes such as girls reaching full enrolment in 2021, outperforming boys in key academic areas, and scoring higher in PISA-D2 reading and science. Investigates whether schools are merely gender-sensitive or actively addressing gender imbalances in classrooms by drawing on desk review evidence and 35 interviews. Compares gender-sensitive, gender-responsive, and gender-transformative approaches and presents key policy-related findings.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Background

Research approach

Gender sensitivity vs gender responsiveness

Key findings

Is gender-responsiveness evident in policy?

Examining improvements to girls’education in Cambodia through a gender-responsive lens Leanne Cameron and Ella Page Since 2002, the Cambodian government has taken serious steps to address pervasive gender imbalances and improve the status and treatment of women and girls, especially in education. A series of policies that call for child-friendly, gender-aware schooling have been enacted in the past two decades, accompanied by scholarship programmes, expansion in lower secondary school construction, and gender-focused teacher and school leader training programmes. These combined efforts are paying off: in 2021, girls’ enrolment was at 100%, and girls surpassed boys for enrolment in lower secondary for the first time. Girls are also outperforming boys in reading, writing, and mathematics at Grade 51, and in PISA-D2, conducted with 15-year-olds, girls outscored boys in reading and science. Beyond these improvements in statistics for enrolment and performance, we sought to understand the extent to which gender imbalances are being addressed and improved within the classroom. Here, we explore the following question: Background Are schools and classrooms in Cambodia simply gender-sensitive and aware of gender discrimination, or are they moving to actively root out and address gender imbalances, thus demonstrating aspects of gender-responsiveness? In this context, Education Development Trust (EDT), working in collaboration with the Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI), is producing two phases of research on aspects of the education system from a gender-responsive perspective. Taking a mixed-methods approach, we drew data for the first phase from two sources: 1. Desk review of academic literature, policy documents and guidelines related to gender 2. Interviews with 35 informants from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS), development partners, sub-national education officials, school principals, and teachers3. Many contexts, like Cambodia, have been moving away from gender-unequal policies and practices which discriminate against girls and women, do not ensure girls and women’s equal participation in society, and perpetuate inequalities. Often, policies may call for learner-centredness, where teaching and learning is tailored to the individual needs of the child, but many approaches to learner-centredness do not specifically address gender in understanding individual differences. Thus, when countries adopt a gender-mainstreaming approach, they begin to acknowledge that gender is an important element in understanding who can access resources and opportunities in society more broadly and education in particular, demonstrating gender-aware or gender-sensitive positions. 1 UNICEF (2021) 2 MoEYS (2018) 3 CDRI has independently published their findings from this research as a Working Paper: Chea Phal, Tek Muytieng, and Nok Sorsesekha,‘Gender Gap Reversal in Learning and Gender Responsive Teaching in Cambodia’. 1 Gender-sensitive policies may ensure that boys and girls have equal access to schooling and ensure that both genders are represented in education, for example, in textbooks and learning materials. Gender-responsive approaches go further in taking active measures to reduce gender inequalities, addressing internalised bias due to gender, ensuring meaningful participation of all children, and considering the specific needs that girls and boys may each have to ensure equal opportunities for learning and leadership. Gender-responsive pedagogies and practices lead to gender-transformative environments, which actively combat and correct gender-based inequalities and power imbalances, andreimagine gender roles to allow both girls and boys to pursue the personal and professional lives that they value. Figure 1 illustrates how these terms fall on a continuum of moving from gender inequality to gender equity. FIG 14: Continuum from gender inequity to gender equity GENDER-UNAWARE Ignore

FAQs

What progress has Cambodia made in girls’ education in recent years?

Girls’ enrolment reached 100% in 2021, and girls surpassed boys in lower secondary enrolment for the first time. Girls also outperform boys in reading, writing, mathematics at Grade 5, and in PISA-D2 reading and science.

What research question does the document focus on?

It asks whether Cambodia’s schools and classrooms are simply gender-sensitive and aware of discrimination, or whether they actively root out and address gender imbalances to demonstrate gender-responsiveness.

How was the research evidence gathered for the first phase?

Using a mixed-methods approach, the document draws on a desk review of academic literature, policy documents and guidelines related to gender, and interviews with 35 informants from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, development partners, sub-national officials, school principals, and teachers.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Callum