SALASUSU is a certified NPO that supports the growth of teachers in Cambodia under the goal of creating "classrooms where no one is left behind." Its website explains that even as schools, teaching materials and curricula are being put in place, the quality of lessons has not kept up, and only 10% of children can read and write at the level needed by around age 10. Believing that the quality of a classroom depends on the teacher, it works to support teachers' learning.
Its work has three main parts. At its experimental school, the Community Laboratory School in Sotnikum District, Siem Reap Province, about 50 elementary school children from nearby public schools study while it researches and practices lessons in which every student can keep learning for the full 45 minutes. At public primary and lower secondary schools and schools attached to teacher training colleges, it provides teacher training centered on "lesson study." It also offers study tours in rural Cambodia for junior high, high school and university students in Japan.
It began under its predecessor, the Kamonohashi Project, with vocational education for women in the poorest circumstances in Cambodia. It then started a teacher development program at public vocational training schools in Cambodia, and now has shifted its direction toward public education reform, reorganizing its workshop as the experimental school. A four-night, six-day Cambodia study tour for teachers is also planned for the end of 2026.
Key points
- Efforts to support teachers' learning and growth, aiming for "classrooms where no one is left behind"
- An experimental school where about 50 elementary school children study, researching and practicing high-quality lessons
- Study tours in Cambodia that junior high, high school and university students and teachers from Japan can join
Why this organization deserves attention
Its distinguishing feature is that it looks beyond school buildings and materials to the quality of lessons in the classroom, and supports the growth of teachers as the key to that quality. The path from insights gained at its own experimental school to training at public schools is clear.
There are also ways to get involved from Japan, such as monthly donations (supporter membership) from 1,000 yen, study tours and internships. It can be an entry point for anyone interested in education to learn about the situation on the ground.
Editor's comment
However fine a classroom may be, what matters most is that the children learning there feel they have understood. SALASUSU's work reminds us of this, and its view that teachers' growth supports that learning is striking.
The official website also introduces study tours and internships. Why not take a look as a chance to look at education afresh?