Open Letter to Students from Principal Nika of Chea Smonn Secondary School

​Hello Students, 

My name is Nika Bin and I am your school principal of Chea Smonn Secondary School. 

Covid-19 caused schools all over the country, including ours, to close.  As a result, all of you could no longer study, which is a pity as many of you enjoy it.  Learning at home through online and exercise sheets provided by your teachers was obviously challenging because not all of you have smart phones to use for learning and those of you who have them may face challenges with good internet coverage. 

I am also aware that several of you had to drop out of school in order to work and to support your families because Covid-19 meant that many families lost income or even their jobs. There is great pressure in that families not only have to have money in order to cover daily living expenses but they also have to repay banks and some of you felt that you have to leave school in order to work. At the same time, learning at home is not as easy as at schools because you can’t easily ask questions. It takes a long time as it is hard for teachers to support students from a distance. 

All the teachers including myself are working hard to help you, to motivate and encourage you to learn both at school and at home. Education is important and we also encourage all parents to help and push their children learn at home. Even with the time constraints of distance learning, we provide exercises and lessons to all of you. We clean our school environment every day, we have masks, temperature checking tool and soaps. We even received masks and hand sanitizers from PeopleStories Charity for daily use. At the same time, we are working closely with authorities in the community to help with this work.  ​

Principal Nika's up bringing wasn't easy and being a young female school principal is an achievement in a male dominated structure.  

​Click to read her story and get inspired here!

We do need your help, not only to study hard and to come to school regularly but also to keep good social distance and to practice good personal hygiene. 

Finally, I would like to say that education is really important! Education gives you an opportunity to escape from poverty and also ignorance. With a good education, everyone has more choices to become, for example, a tour guide, doctor, teacher, architect, policeman, soldier, businessman or even Prime Minister!  

I will do my very best to help you have a good education for your future and that of Cambodia and the whole world! ​​

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