Candlelight Party Promises Higher Education for Everyone
One of the Candlelight Party's top priorities is to help every citizen, regardless of their financial status, to get into higher education if the party has the opportunity to win the upcoming commune election. Photo by Yim Gechhour
- By Mao Sopha
- and Sam Sopich
- May 23, 2022 7:24 PM
The party focuses on social developments
PHNOM PENH – One of the Candlelight Party's top priorities is to help every citizen, regardless of their financial status, to get into higher education if the party has the opportunity to win the upcoming commune election.
Since the political campaign officially kicked off on May 21, the Candlelight Party has multiplied promises with the aim of improving people’s livelihoods.
During the party’s first rallye across the capital city on May 21, Son Chhay, vice-president of the Candlelight Party, stood up in a car for hours, a loudspeaker in hand. All along the political demonstration, he shouted his party’s commitments, among which its will to support all young people in attending college.
“The Candlelight Party believes that giving a chance for all Cambodians to receive a proper education is right. Therefore, the Candlelight Party will make every effort it takes to ensure Cambodians, especially our children, receive higher education," he said.
Among other major promises, Son Chhay announced his party would find ways to help people reimburse loans they have taken out from banks to avoid any foreclosure, give free medical treatment to the poor, support people to get the right job, enable vendors to sell their products at a decent price to earn a decent income, and serve people honestly without corruption, especially when it comes to the access to land.
Seventeen parties are running for the 5th Commune Election: the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), Candlelight Party, FUNCINPEC, Khmer National United Party (KNUP), Cambodian National Love Party (CNLP), Cambodian Nationality Party, Cambodian Youth Party (CYP), Khmer Will Party, Cambodia Reform Party, Kampucheaniyum Party (KP), Grassroots Democratic Party (GDP), Beehive Social Democratic Party (BSDP), Indigenous People’s Democratic Party (IPDP), Khmer United Party (KUP), Ekpheap Cheat Khmer Party (ECKP), Reaksmey Khemara Party, and Khmer Economic Development Party (KEDP).
The election campaign runs for 14 days, from May 21 to June 3. June 4 will be the white day, meaning that no political activity will be allowed, while June 5 will be the election day.
The Cambodian Constitution states that citizens must be educated for at least nine school years. Therefore, most Cambodians receive a common education until grade nine, when children are usually 14 to 15 years old. Despite significant improvements in the past decade, there is still a long way to go : according to the 2019 census, 16.7 percent of the 15-19 years old population hadn’t completed primary school; while in the 20-24 years old age group, only 9.3 percent reported a secondary diploma.
