Background
Ek Phnom Primary School took part in the first round of Classroom of Hope and Navitas supported Schools
for Excellence project between 2013 and 2016. In 2016, the school taught 349 students in Grades 1- 6. Ek
Phmon consists of two school buildings. One good quality, 4 classroom building (used by 199 students) and
one poor quality 4 classroom building (used by 150 students).
The old building was built in 1983 and made out of wood with a tile roof and concrete floor. Flooding and
general wear and tear had deteriorated the building and classrooms over time Teachers explained that ‘the
roof and walls would swing up and down when the rain and wind comes”.
An assessment of the foundation pillars found that the school had a high risk of falling down at any time. One
of the classrooms was deemed too unsafe to use and the other three rooms could not be used during heavy
rain and high wind.
Holes in the roof and walls made this a very difficult environment for teachers and students.
The Cambodian teachers who worked there, summed up what it was like to study in these classrooms when
they said “children learn in fear of this building”.