PHNOM PENH – Four Cambodian students have won ASEAN Scholarship Awards to pursue secondary education in Singapore.   The program aims to promote global citizens and leaders by fostering critical thinking, leadership skills and cross-cultural understanding.  

The four-year scholarship is for outstanding students in ASEAN countries in selected secondary schools. They will start from the secondary 3 level to pre-university 2, leading to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level certificate or its equivalent. 

This year's Cambodian students are Thay Samrithikun, Tuon Chanveasna, Taing Chumpounut and Kim Setharoth. They will start the new academic year in 2026.

Kuy Judy, a 2023 recipient, congratulated the new scholars through a video message.

She shared her study experience, noting that students can learn academic rigor and resilience, seek help when needed, and that each challenge will shape them into stronger individuals.

"Coming to Singapore has completely changed who I am. Be prepared to see that change in yourself too, as you will be challenged, make mistakes, and ultimately, be forced to become a better version of you," Judy said.

Nguon Sokcheng, deputy director-general of higher education at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, said the scholarship is a direct investment in human capacity building to aid the achievement of Cambodia’s Pentagonal Strategy and contribute to the long-term prosperity of the ASEAN community.

“You are strategic ambassadors for Cambodia,” she said. “As you advance in the rigorous STEM fields, you are preparing to become the skilled professionals driving Cambodia’s digital transformation, innovation and economic resilience.”

Different from Cambodia’s lower and upper secondary levels, Singapore’s secondary schools consist of five levels. 

After graduating, students do not immediately go to university. They need to take pre-university education (pre‑university 1 to 3) at a set age for each level.

Singapore uses the Student Learning Space (SLS), an emerging technology platform that supports learning modes such as self‑study and collaborative learning, available to all teachers and students in the national school system.

For more than 20 years, the ASEAN Scholarship program has been a testament to Singapore’s long-standing commitment to human resource development by investing in young talent to shape future leaders.