Westline Education Group
The situation in Cambodia
- Cambodia is one of the world’s least developed countries. Over 80 % of the population make their living from subsistence farming.
- The educational system was largely destroyed under the rule of the Khmer Rouge through the systematic persecution of intellectuals. Now, there is an acute need for teaching personnel.
- Because of the growing population, the public authorities lack the necessary resources to maintain school infrastructure and procure new teaching materials.
- 25% of the Cambodian population are illiterate.
Development Effects in a Nutshell
- Westline schools provide high quality education for children of families with low and medium incomes.
- Westline schools cooperate with local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) so that reduced school fees can be offered to underprivileged families.
- Westline schools and their pupils are actively engaged in local social projects.
- Since its inception, the group has on average created more than 100 new teaching posts every year and admitted just under 2,000 new pupils of both genders.
About Westline
Westline Education Group opened its first school in 2008 and offers international standard primary and secondary education to low and middle income families in Phnom Penh. It has established itself as the leading and fastest growing education provider in K-12 and English education in an area where quality education is in high demand due to the inefficient public school system. The company utilizes the government curriculum supplemented with additional extra-curricular activities to equip students with leadership skills and foster community engagement.
The Westline Group also runs a professional training and consultancy division which provides management and leadership training to organizations and teachers in Cambodia. In total, the group currently operates eight community campuses in the capital city, creating employment for almost 750 people and teaching around 8,500 students. The school plans to expand into provincial regions, where the lack of quality education is even more evident.
EMI helped to build key corporate functions to support the successful branch roll-out and improve operational efficiency and effectiveness. The Fund assisted in strengthening the management of the school infrastructure by implementing a safety program and advising on the unclear tax obligations for the education sector, interventions which were co-financed with the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) technical assistance (TA) funds.
Data as of 2014
Obviam has made reasonable efforts to ensure the accuracy of the data presented. A case study is made possible both through Obviam’s first-hand experience and/or the information provided by Obviam’s investment partners. Data is valid as per the date recorded.