The ESCUP Program is an initiative in the education sector that focuses on inclusion and quality within the formal education system. The program targets the basic education sector (Grades 1 to 9) and geographical areas where many children are either not enrolled in the formal school system or exhibit high rates of dropout from the system. From a geopolitical perspective, the program also seeks to integrate marginal social groups, particularly ethnic groups such as the country's Muslim minority, more closely into Cambodian society in a way that preserves the integrity of their own culture but which also promotes national unity. The program is highly consistent with the draft Ministry policy describing what is known as Child Friendly Schools; which is the Ministry's front line strategy to promote access and quality among all children through implementation methods that stress the rights of the child.

The ESCUP program began in April 2005 and works in three technical areas including (a) Teacher Education; (b) Access and Quality; and (c) School-Community Partnerships. At the present time, the ESCUP Program is working in 151 primary schools and 14 lower secondary schools providing services to approximately 57,000 children. Key elements of the program's technical approach include (a) the use of local committees for direct implementation, (b) school and community grants that promote stakeholder driven development, and (c) the innovative use of activity menus to avoid prescriptive programming.

American Institutes for Research
World Education
Kampuchean Action for Primary Education (KAPE)
CARE

Local partners:
Cambodian Islamic Youth Association (CIYA)
Women and Children's Rights Development (WCRD)
Professors Alliance for Development (PAD)