Phnom Penh: Mr. Hang Chuon Naron, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, said that young children who receive professional care and warmth from their families and people around them are more likely to successfully complete preschool and primary school, reducing dropout rates.
Speech by Deputy Prime Minister Hang Chuon Naron on the occasion of leading a delegation from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports to participate in a discussion on Advancing early years learning for a changing world at the Queen Elizabeth II Center, United Kingdom, on May 18, 2026. The discussion forum was attended by the Ministers of Education of Uzbekistan, Colombia and Slovakia, and several other distinguished guests.
On this occasion, the Deputy Prime Minister raised a number of important points related to early childhood education, which plays an important role in providing a strong and indispensable foundation for human resource development. He said, “Young children who receive care, professional attention, and warmth from their families and the people around them are more likely to successfully complete preschool and primary school, reducing dropout rates.”
Research evidence shows that 80% of the connections in a young child’s brain occur between the ages of zero and the first three years of life. During this period, children’s nervous systems and brains develop well and rapidly, which is the foundation for the development of intellectual skills, intelligence and basic skills such as social skills, courage, patience and communication skills, which are essential skills for a person’s lifelong learning success.
The Deputy Prime Minister further emphasized that providing quality education and child development is about supporting the whole child in cognitive, social, emotional and physical development, especially during the most critical years of brain development, including a strong foundation of learning in language, arithmetic and problem solving, creating readiness for primary school and reducing relearning and dropout.
The Deputy Prime Minister added that students who attend preschool achieve better results in primary education. At the same time, early childhood education also prepares society to address modern challenges, including adaptation and lifelong learning, health and well-being, and resilience to crises.
