ISF State School Student’s Story, Srey Neat

Srey Neat*, an 11-year-old girl, had never been to school before going to ISF in 2019. The goal then was to catch up with other children her age — which she did so well that she’s been able to transfer to a state school in 2022. She started at ISF in grade 1, and now is in grade 6 at a state primary school, all because she was able to accelerate her learning to meet the academic requirements of her new school’s curriculum. And, in keeping with its goals, ISF is still supporting Srey Neat and her family in multiple ways.

It’s not easy for a child to make up for years of lost time in school, especially when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted education in Cambodia. But Srey Neat’s parents, her mom, a cleaner and dad, a motor taxi driver, succeeded in getting her registered. They had learned about ISF from a village leader. During the height of the pandemic, when ISF was forced to close its doors, Srey Neat continued to learn online. “I studied online with my teachers via Telegram and Facebook Group. From home, I studied a variety of subjects such as Khmer, Maths, physics, and chemistry through the Ministry’s YouTube channel.”

Srey Neat did discover the limitations of online education, despite students’ best efforts, including Srey Neat studying five days a week. “It was challenging to keep up well with the lessons due to unstable internet connections in my area.” It was difficult, if not impossible, to contact teachers from the education ministry’s YouTube channel. As challenging as it’s been for Srey Neat and other disadvantaged students to catch up with school work during a pandemic, Srey Neat succeeded in moving up, grade by grade, at ISF, and transitioning to a state school, with ongoing, vital assistance from ISF. “To help me to keep studying, ISF social workers were always on hand to encourage me.

Since internet access is cost prohibitive for most students, ISF helped pay for the connection. “Also, my family received additional food parcels to help us get through this tough time when they couldn’t go out to work.”

Srey’s words of appreciation underscores that ISF, which is financed entirely through donations, is not just a school. It’s a key contributor to the larger Phnom Penh and Cambodian community. Its goal is always to help children and families that need help.