Population, Education and the Environment

One of the major causes of these environmental and social problems is the rapidly growing population. When Pol Pot seized control of Cambodia in 1975, the country’s population was estimated to be 7.3 million people. Over the next four years, between 25% and 30% of all Cambodians died as the population was decimated by widespread starvation, forced labor, and political executions. Since the end of the Khmer Rouge period in 1979, the population has nearly doubled, reaching 14 million in 2006. According to the World Resources Institute, each couple typically has four or five children. 40% of Cambodians are under the age of 15, and the country’s median age is 21.3, according to the 2007 CIA Factbook.

A population boom in a country without infrastructure to manage such growth can precipitate environmental and educational disasters. High fertility rates and little or no access to contraception can actually “outpace economic and development gains and stall poverty reduction efforts,” says the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF). However, this doesn’t mean doomsday prophecies for Cambodia. According to the UNPF, young populations offer great potential for development but only if countries invest wisely in the education, health, skills, and economic opportunities for youth.

As the population grows, Cambodia faces the difficult task of expanding its already overtaxed education and health services to meet their needs. PEPY is proud to be part of the push to extend education and health to Cambodia’s rural youth. In a country where UNDP estimates that less than 30% of students proceed to secondary school, we offer rural children opportunities and incentives to continue their studies. Our work with the Bike-to-School Program ensures that students who otherwise couldn’t access secondary school have the means to do so, and serves, along with PEPY-sponsored visits to Angkor Wat, as incentives for students to stay in school. These students will comprise Cambodia’s future and will develop the tools to make environmental and health decisions that stabilize and improve Cambodia.

Cambodia is already looking ahead to curb its population and protect the educational, environmental, and social gains it has made in the past years. In 2004, the country’s first National Population Policy was launched. Education is playing a forefront role in this plan to allow individuals to manage their reproductive choices, along with the extension of reproductive services and access to contraception nation-wide. While services are not yet available to all, the educational framework being laid in rural areas is setting the stage and creating an informed audience for these massive community education programs.