Curbing Private Tutoring and Informal Fees in Cambodia’s Basic Education

This report reviews the issue of informal fees in Cambodian primary and lower secondary schools, where public education is, in principal, free for all. Informal fees are defined as fees “not officially sanctioned, approved, and/or collected by the state or local government as a prerequisite for school attendance”. This report focuses on two main types: fees for private tutoring and fees for specific educational processes. Fees for private tutoring consist of payments to teachers in exchange for tutoring organized by the school or the class teacher to supplement regular class instruction. Private tutoring as it has emerged in Cambodia may be considered a form of informal fee, given the current legal framework endorsing free education for all. Fees for specific educational purposes cover items such as handouts and examination work sheets, along with better evaluations and even advancement from Grade 9 to Grade 10.