Shortages of qualified teachers in under-served areas have been frequently mentioned in Education Sector Support Program (ESSP) reviews over recent years. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS) has developed a number of strategies to address this problem including relocation allowances, double shifting, difficult and remote teaching allowances, and expanding the opportunities for graduates of Grade 9 from under-served areas to enter primary teacher training institutions under a bond to return to teach in their home areas upon graduation. However, attracting and retaining qualified teachers in such areas remains a serious issue and teacher shortages have been chronic in all the areas in which ESCUP is working. The absence of a teacher or overcrowded classrooms due to too few teachers are reasons frequently cited by parents in remote areas as reasons why their children are not participating in education. In addition, double shifting (with extra payments often years in arrears) appears to be overtaxing the already stretched teaching force resulting in poor preparation and lower educational quality. A number of innovative interventions are introduced to help solve these problems such as the use of community teachers, a scholarship program for Teacher Training College, in-service teacher training and quasi bi-lingual activities.

Summary of Teacher Education Interventions

Intervention Areas	Specific Activities	Problems to Which Interventions Are Relevant
1. Provincial Teacher Training College Scholarships	Local recruitment with minority quotas Coaching to take PTTC Entrance Examination Scholarships for selected candidates Continuous follow-up support In-school follow up during 1st year of teaching	Chronic teacher shortages in remote areas
2. Community Teachers	Training of School Boards/Support Committee Training of Community Teachers (no further foundational workshops proposed) Payment and in-school support to Community Teachers Advocacy to increase likelihood of Community Teachers to becoming state teachers	Chronic teacher shortages in remote areas Pervasiveness of incomplete schools
3. Child Friendly School Teacher Training	Orientations to facilitate voluntary selection of prospective CFS teachers In-service training of CFS teachers at DOE/POE In-school support to CFS teachers through local support networks Visits and study tours	Low educational relevance and quality Poor living & working conditions among teachers
4. Training Support for Teachers providing Supplementary Khmer Language	Local recruitment of teachers in Grades 1 and 2 who express interest in SKL interventions In-service training in SKL techniques for selected teachers Continuous follow-up support	Low educational relevance and quality
5. Training Support for Bilingual Classroom Assistants	Local recruitment of bilingual individuals from local communities to work as BCAs in local schools In-service training in the role of BCAs and basic pedagogy for selected assistants Continuous follow-up support	Low educational relevance and quality
6. Training Support for Multi-grade Teachers	In-service training for Multi-grade teachers Continuous follow-up support	Low educational relevance and quality