Cambodia's 2026 Education Budget Exceeds $1 Billion, Up 3%

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport has secured a budget of approximately 4,130.8 billion Riel, equivalent to about $1.03 billion USD, for 2026. This represents approximately 16.8% of the national current expenditure. The 2026 budget shows an increase of about 3% compared to the 2025 budget, which was approximately 4,008 billion Riel. Within the budget exceeding $1 billion for 2026, approximately 79.5% is allocated for personnel costs and about 20.5% for non-personnel expenditures. These funds support key programs and activities such as the School Operational Fund, scholarships for poor students, school feeding programs, community kindergarten support, education infrastructure repairs, sports and youth development, and other significant educational initiatives. Concurrently, the Ministry has transferred a credit of approximately 1,858.4 billion Riel, equivalent to 39.7% of the total current expenditure credit, to sub-national administrations (municipalities, districts, and sub-districts) to enhance the effectiveness of implementing functions and providing educational services at the sub-national level. To increase accountability and promote the implementation of results-based budgeting, the Ministry began preparing and implementing performance agreements in 2024. For 2026, the implementation will be organized at three levels: Ministry level (with the Ministry of Economy and Finance), Program level (with the Minister of Education, Youth and Sport), and Sub-program level (between program and sub-program leaders). This increase in the education budget aligns with the affirmations of Prime Minister Hun Manet, who has previously stated that the government would not reduce spending on education and health to meet defense needs. The Prime Minister emphasized that even with increased defense spending, the education and health sectors would continue to receive support and increased funding, considering human resource development as a priority. Furthermore, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport will organize a public forum on "Education Budget for 2026" on September 8, 2026, to present the usage and management of the education budget, thereby strengthening transparency and accountability in the use of public resources. Source: Kampuchea Thmey Local