As fighting continues along the Cambodia-Thailand border, a school in Siem Reap Province in northwest Cambodia has striven to open its doors to provide a safe haven for displaced students.
The school has taken in 13 refugee students, some of whom had to flee their homes in the conflict-affected Oddar Meanchey Province.
Among them is Chui Sreymom, who said that the upheaval has disrupted her studies.
"It had impacted my studies. I'm now in ninth grade and have important exams coming up soon," she said.
"We've enrolled 13 refugees into our school, including nine girls. And there are even more students signing up," said principal Dorn Chantrea.
According to Chantrea, the school has proactively reached out to refugee camps and posted enrollment notices on social media platforms to help as many displaced students as possible continue their schooling.
Chen Chhunly, a worker at a nearby refugee camp, said that other schools in the area have also stepped up to accommodate the influx of students.
"Schools that have accepted refugee students have accordingly set up additional courses based on the actual arrivals, in order to help them catch up," Chhunly said.
However, Cambodia's education system faces significant resource constraints, with limited teacher staffing and budgets even before the conflict. Many schools had already resorted to running morning and afternoon shifts to maximize capacity.
With the growing influx of refugees and children, many students have been unable to secure appropriate school placements.
While refugee camps have erected temporary education centers, their focus remains on emotional support and stabilization rather than formal instruction.
"I haven't yet found a suitable school placement. I don't know where I'll be able to study," said Dorn Chantrea, a displaced student.
Fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbors broke out on Dec 7, with the two sides accusing each other of firing first.
The border clashes have already forced the closure of 514 schools in Cambodia's frontier provinces, affecting around 130,000 students and 4,650 teachers, according to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport at a press briefing on Tuesday.
Cambodian students struggle to return to school amid border clashes
