PHNOM PENH, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- The literacy rate among Cambodian adults, aged 15 and over, has increased to 87.8 percent in 2020, remarkably up from 77.6 percent in 2008, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports spokesman Ros Soveacha said here on Tuesday.
"This figure clearly reflects the government's efforts to reduce illiteracy rate among adults in Cambodia," he said during a press conference organized by the Royal Government Spokesperson Unit.
He added that the ministry has developed a number of educational initiatives to contribute to the eradication of illiteracy, including programs for school re-enrolment, professional literacy, post-literacy, diploma equivalency, income generation and life improvement.
Cambodia uses the standard Education for All (EFA) definition of literacy, which is the ability to read and write with understanding a simple statement related to one's daily life.
According to Soveacha, the Southeast Asian nation currently has a total of 18,430 public and private schools, ranging from kindergartens to high schools, with 3.58 million students.
Across the country, there are also 130 higher education institutions, with 48 of them being state-run while the other 82 are private, he said, adding that a total of 198,363 students are studying at those higher education institutions. ■