The Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports of the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Indian Embassy in Phnom Penh have signed Memorandums of Understanding for three Quick Impact Projects that will be executed by the ministry with grant assistance from the Government of India.
The signing ceremony took place here on Dec. 3 with H.E. Dr. Hang Chuon Naron, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, and H.E. Dr. Devyani Khobragade, Ambassador of India to Cambodia, as signatories.
According to a press release of the Indian Embassy AKP received this evening, the project included (i) Water Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools in Kampong Cham Province (ii) Developing the India-Cambodia Friendship School in Kampong Cham as per the standard model for schools by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, and (iii) Climate Resilient School Water system in Prey Veng Province.
In her address at the ceremony, H.E. Ambassador Devyani Khobragade said that the Quick Impact Projects under Mekong-Ganga Cooperation are part of India’s Act East Policy. Cambodia is an important partner for India in its Act East Policy. This year marks a decade of India’s Act East Policy.
Every year, she continued, under the Mekong Ganga Cooperation, 10 Quick Impact Projects are taken up in Cambodia with grant assistance of US$ 50,000 for each project. So, a total of 54 such projects have been taken, out of which 41 have been completed and 13 projects are at various stages of completion. These projects cover multiple areas, including health, sanitation, women’s empowerment, ecotourism, among others. In the education sector, 13 QIPs, including sanitation facilities at schools, building classrooms for students, and information technology centres at various universities, have been executed.
QIPs are also a way through which India is sharing its development achievements, H.E. Ambassador said.
H.E. Dr. Devyani Khobragade added that there are many opportunities for India and Cambodia to cooperate in sector of education and capacity building, and human resources development are special areas of focus of bilateral cooperation. Every year, 300 Cambodian officials are travelling to India to avail themselves of various training courses under the ITEC programme, which are fully funded by the Government of India. India is also providing scholarships to Cambodian students for various undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD courses. This year, 65 Cambodian students have gone to India with scholarships from the Government of India. In total, more than 3000 Cambodian nationals have availed training in India under the ITEC programme which also includes many customised courses for Cambodia.
For his part, H.E. Dr. Hang Chuon Naron in his remarks recalled and expressed gratitude for India’s support to Cambodia after the fall of the brutal regime of Khmer Rouge. He also expressed thanks for India’s support for the conservation and restoration of Angkor Wat as well as for ongoing heritage conservation in Cambodia.
H.E. DPM conveyed thanks, on behalf of the school children, to the Government of India for providing grant assistance with the Quick Impact Projects.
