In high schools, libraries still a long way from the French CDI model

In France, the Documentation and Information Center (CDI) has been in existence since 1973. At that time in Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge were destroying everything related to knowledge. This partly explains the delay in access to information, particularly in terms of career guidance. Since 2021, Sipar has been working to support secondary school students.

In France, the CDI has been firmly established in the educational landscape for middle and high school students for over 50 years. In Cambodia, libraries are gradually emerging in public education but are still rare in rural areas. This is largely thanks to Sipar's youth empowerment program that things have been moving forward since 2021.

Already 15 libraries in rural areas are up and running, and 10 more will open by May 2027The program is also in the process of being institutionalized by the ministry. This will help recognize the importance of orientation centers and the profession of teacher-librarian. Human resources lack training, and this profession is given little or no recognition within teaching teams.

The libraries installed by Sipar all have a space dedicated to career guidance. In France, this is a fully institutionalized activity, integrated and progressive throughout the student's school career: appointments with guidance counselors, meetings with companies, participation in trade shows and forums, discovery internships in companies, etc.

In Cambodia, this role of high schools has emerged very recently and remains largely unstructured. Recently integrated into the curriculum of the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports, career guidance aims to professionalize support for young people, helping them make informed choices that are suited to the job market. Sipar provides documentary resources, trains librarians, and works hand in hand with schools to organize career forums where students can meet with universities and companies.

We still need funds to finance this second phase until May 2027 and reach more than 36,000 students. Without your support, this investment in the human capital of young people is not possible.

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