ABSTRACT
Using semi-structured interviews gathered from youth and families in rural Cambodia, this paper focuses on the specific social circumstances that affect parents’ abilities to support their children’s education, as well as on how youth and young adults make sense of their own educational experiences in a context shaped by economic hardships and by social legacies of the Pol Pot regime. Data analysis shows that while economic factors have a strong impact on children’s educational opportunities, other risk factors include social tensions such as the changing social value of education due to societal scars and schooling inequities. This paper concludes with recommendations for policy and practice.
Acknowledgement
The author wishes to thank WOW for facilitating this research, as well as the teachers, the families and the children for their trust and heartfelt participation.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.