Iran war risks education of children in Cambodia

August 17, 2026 - 06:52

The war in Iran is not causing the kind of sudden, universal school closures seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. But its effects are quietly reaching into classrooms thousands of miles away, and the children who feel it first are the ones who can least afford it.

For Cambodia, the connection is indirect but real. The conflict has pushed up global fuel and food prices. That means families in rural provinces are spending more on rice and transport, leaving less for school supplies, uniforms, or even the daily meal that keeps a child in class. When a family has to choose between eating and sending a child to school, the child stays home.

Local teachers report that absenteeism is creeping up, especially among older girls who often help with household work when money gets tight. Some students are dropping out entirely to take informal jobs in construction or garment factories, hoping to ease the pressure on their parents. The government has tried to cushion the blow with subsidies, but those funds are stretched thin.

The deeper worry is that this is not a short-term spike. If the conflict drags on, Cambodia's education gains from the last decade could reverse. The country had made real progress in enrollment and literacy. Now, that progress is at risk, not because of bombs falling on Phnom Penh, but because the economic shock of a distant war is slowly pulling children out of school and into survival mode.

For now, the classrooms are still open. But the empty desks are starting to tell a story that no policy paper can ignore.