Cambodia’s primary education sector has seen a significant rise in the attractiveness of the teaching profession, with a notable increase in high-caliber candidates applying for teaching positions. Between 2014 and 2024, half of the teacher trainees came from the top decile of Grade 12 examinees. Public primary school teacher salaries, adjusted for inflation, more than tripled from 2013 to 2019, transforming the wage penalty of 2012 into a wage premium by 2019. Even in historically underserved provinces, qualified individuals are now applying to become primary school teachers.
Despite these salary increases, a majority of teachers—84 percent—continue to earn income from secondary jobs, and many work only half a day for their schools and students. This prevalence of secondary employment has remained largely unchanged since 2012, even after the introduction of teacher remuneration reforms, indicating limited impact on teacher working hours.
Teacher education qualifications have improved substantially; however, these gains have not translated into measurable improvements in teaching practices or teacher math competencies. Classroom observations from 2012 and 2024 show little change in instructional methods, and primary teacher math test scores in 2024 only reflect marginal improvements compared to 2012.
Looking ahead, Cambodia faces a need to significantly expand its capacity to produce qualified primary school teachers. About 19 percent of the workforce comprises contract teachers with minimal training, and roughly one-third of civil servants are expected to leave the workforce within the next eight years due to retirement or attrition, highlighting the need for both replacement and scaling of trained teachers.
To address these challenges, recommendations focus on aligning teacher pay and incentives with effort and performance, including strategies to increase teacher working hours and reduce secondary employment. Easing entry restrictions into teacher training programs and the workforce, while ensuring high-quality pedagogic education, is essential to accommodate larger cohorts of trainees. Additionally, policies for contract teachers should be revised, introducing multiyear contracts, higher minimum training requirements, and clarifying their roles while phasing out double-shift teaching positions.
