AKP Phnom Penh, October 14, 2025 --

Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, H.E. Aphi Santepundit Sar Sokha, who leads the Royal Government’s Working Group for Prey Veng Province, encouraged high school graduates—regardless of their national exam outcomes—to persist in education and chase their ambitions via academic or vocational routes.

Speaking at the gathering with 154 top-scoring Grade A students from the 2025 high school national exams in Prey Veng province on Oct. 13, H.E. Aphi Santepundit Sar Sokha stressed that exam grades do not dictate one’s future. “Results alone cannot define destinies or success,” he said, imploring students to hone skills and knowledge attuned to today’s job market.

He highlighted the Royal Government’s long-term investment in education, from early childhood through advanced degrees and vocational training, as key to youth empowerment. This vision, H.E. Aphi Santepundit Sar Sokha noted, originated under former Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen and endures with Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, via the Rectangular Strategy and the evolving Pentagonal Strategy.

In a gesture of recognition, the Deputy Prime Minister awarded each Grade A student a motorcycle, cash aid, and educational supplies. He also extended financial support and resources to volunteer teachers offering free tutoring to Grade 12 students in the 2024–2025 school year, plus incentives for principals at the 27 Prey Veng high schools producing these high achievers.

By K. Rithy Reak