Your Choice, Your Future

Over the past decade, Cambodia has made important strides in education—more schools have been built, more children are enrolling, and child survival rates have improved. For example, Early Childhood Education enrollment among 5-year-olds rose from 61.4 per cent in 2014–2015 to 71.4 per cent in 2024–2025¹. Lower secondary enrollment also increased significantly, from 53.3 per cent to 69.5 per cent over the same period¹. 

These numbers reflect real progress. But they also reveal who is still being left behind. Children from poor families, rural areas, ethnic minority communities, and those with disabilities continue to face barriers to learning and are underrepresented in classrooms. Children with disabilities face even greater barriers to education, being twice as likely to never attend school as their peers.  

To address the urgent challenges facing young children and adolescents, UNICEF, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS), is launching a national campaign aimed at improving adolescent school retention.  

Adolescents at Risk of Being Left Behind: “Your Choice, Your Future” Campaign 

As children grow older, the barriers to education evolve—but they don’t disappear. For many adolescents, the risks intensify. Poverty, social norms, and limited opportunities begin to shape their choices and futures. While early childhood challenges often determine how children start school, adolescence determines whether they stay. 

Despite rising enrollment, some children remain out of school. In 2023, there were approximately 3 million school-age children in Cambodia (2 million in primary school and 1 million in lower secondary school). Out of 3 million, around 300,000 children and adolescents were out of school². By 2023, dropout rates remained stubbornly high, with 15.5 per cent of students leaving school at the lower secondary level³. Additionally, only 43 per cent of children aged 3–5 were enrolled in preschool³. While more adolescents are staying in school, just 60 per cent completed lower secondary school³.   

For girls, early marriage and gender expectations often cut education short. For boys, economic hardship and peer pressure push them toward labour instead of learning. In many communities, dropping out is seen as a practical choice, especially when education feels irrelevant to daily life. 

Key challenges include:  

• Social norms that tolerate or encourage early school exit. In some communities, dropping out is socially accepted, and education is not seen as a steppingstone to success.
• High dropout rates among adolescents from poor households, ethnic minorities, and children with disabilities. Many adolescents leave school early due to poverty, peer pressure, early marriage, or the need to work.
• Limited access to role models, relevant learning, and emotional support. Adolescents often feel disconnected from what they learn, and caregivers—especially fathers—are not always involved in supporting their education. 

The Solution:  

“Your Choice, Your Future” focuses on keeping adolescents—especially those at risk—engaged, supported, and in school. It addresses the emotional, social, and economic factors that lead to dropout and promotes education as a path to opportunity.