Keeping Children in School, Even When the Lake Rises: The Story of the Mobile Floating School

The lack of access to education during the rainy season is a major problem for the children of Kbal Taol Primary School, who are already at a disadvantage due to its remote location. There are a few things that could be done to address this problem, such as building a mobile floating school on higher ground or providing transportation for the children to and from school during the rainy season. It is important to raise awareness of this issue so that more people can help support the school and its students.

In 1996, a mobile floating school was built in Kbal Taol village on Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia. The school is used during the rainy season, between mid-July and December, when the Lake expands fourfold and reaches a maximum depth of 8-11 meters. This allows children to continue their education even though the villagers relocate to higher ground and further away (10 kilometers) from the concrete building school.

The mobile floating school is a unique adaptation to the seasonal cycles of life around Tonle Sap Lake. For years, local people have taken advantage of the annual migration of fish out of the lake to the Mekong River by living in floating villages. The mobile floating school allows these children to continue their education even though their homes are on the move.
The school is a vital resource for the children of Kbal Taol village. It provides them with a safe and stable place to learn, even during the most challenging times of the year. The school also helps to promote education and literacy in the community, which is essential for the future development of the region.

Since the mobile floating school was built decades ago, it was not in a very good condition, “sometimes we need to skip the class when it’s raining because there were leaks on the roof and wall,” Mr. Teav Piseth,  Kbal Taol Primary School Principal told.

Kbal Taol Primary School is a small school in a remote village on Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia. The school has 242 students, of which 124 are female. There are 8 classes, from first grade to sixth grade, and 6 teachers. The school is facing a number of challenges, including the lack of access to education during the rainy season.

During the rainy season, the lake expands and the villagers relocate to higher ground. This means that the school is inaccessible, and many students are forced to miss school to help their parents with their fishery business. As a result, the school’s student attendance rate is low, and many students are falling behind in their studies.

The school also lacks resources. The teachers are underpaid and overworked, and the school does not have enough textbooks or other teaching materials. This makes it difficult for teachers to provide quality education, and it makes it even harder for students to learn.

“The students in Kbal Taol Primary School not only challenge themselves with the cycle of the rainy season but also the number of classrooms. With a two-room floating building, it is not enough for all students, so we need to prepare 3 shifts during the daytime”, the School principal added.

While studying in the current concrete school, Phun Jing Jing, a second-grade student at Kbal Taol Primary School, said she was happy to see the newly renovated floating school. She’s looking forward to studying in the new school without skipping classes during the rainy day.

“Without a floating school, relocated nearby my home, I am not sure I will be able to study regularly and get good results,” Jing Jing told.  

This is part of the project Fisher Folks Making Circular Economy Work for the Western Tonle Sap Lake (FOSTER) led by Oxfam with the financial support from the European Union. Text and photos by Sopheak Srey/AEA