Rising energy costs push Tonle Sap children in Cambodia to abandon school

Children living around Cambodia’s Tonle Sap lake are increasingly abandoning school to work, as families grapple with rising fuel prices that threaten household budgets. Local surveys indicate that a growing number of students, some as young as ten, are employed in informal jobs such as fishing, boat maintenance, and selling goods on the lake’s floating markets. The shift has been linked to a sharp increase in diesel and gasoline costs over the past year, which has inflated the expense of operating fishing vessels and transporting goods, leaving many households with insufficient income to cover basic needs.

Education officials and non‑governmental organizations warn that the trend could undermine long‑term development goals for the region, where school attendance rates were already below national averages. The Ministry of Education has reported a 12 percent drop in enrollment at primary schools in the Tonle Sap catchment area compared with the previous academic year, while community groups are calling for targeted subsidies and fuel assistance to relieve the financial pressure on families. Authorities say they are reviewing policy options to balance immediate economic relief with the need to keep children in school, emphasizing that sustained educational participation remains essential for the area’s future prosperity.