Phnom Penh: The Royal Government of Cambodia has not cut spending on education and health to increase defense spending, while the budget for education and health will increase in 2029.
At the inauguration ceremony of the three-story building, achievements, and the awarding of basic teacher certificates and bachelor’s degrees in physical education to teachers and students of the National Institute of Physical Education and Sports on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, Prime Minister Hun Sen said that some media outlets had wrongly reported that “the Royal Government will cut spending on some priority sectors, such as education and health.”
The Prime Minister said “I would like to briefly clarify that first, the Royal Government has not cut spending on education and education to meet the needs of the national defense sector. Even though the national defense sector has increased, this is the short answer.”
The Prime Minister continued, “Secondly, the social, education, and health sectors will continue to increase, especially in 2026, even if we break out into war in 2025, spending on the national defense sector will increase, but spending on education and health will not decrease, but will only increase in 2026 and will increase in 2027 to 2029. This is true, there will be no cuts, no money taken from education and health to increase the army.”
The Prime Minister said that the Royal Government’s defense sector has sufficient funds to increase the important sectors, including national defense, national security, education, health, and social affairs.
The Prime Minister He also called on citizens not to worry, as the government still considers the social, education, and health sectors as its top priorities.
