Rising Fuel Prices Threaten Education for Cambodia’s Floating School Students

For 12-year-old Soksan Set, the morning commute in Prek Toal is defined not by distance, but by affordability. Living in a floating community on Tonle Sap, Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake, Soksan relies on boat transport to reach his primary school. However, his father, Set Soeum, says that skyrocketing fuel costs are making regular attendance increasingly difficult.

“When gasoline prices go up, we don’t have enough money to take our children to school regularly,” said Set Soeum, 41. He noted that the family requires approximately three liters of fuel daily for fishing, their primary livelihood. Consequently, Soksan frequently misses class because the family cannot afford the separate cost of transporting him to school.

The crisis is part of a broader economic trend in Cambodia, a nation that imports all its petroleum products and lacks domestic refining capacity. According to the World Bank, gasoline prices surged 45% and diesel more than 70% in March alone, marking the steepest single-month increase since 2008. Global Petrol Prices reports that gasoline currently trades at 5,700 riel ($1.41) per liter, a 26.7% increase from a year ago.

Although Cambodia does not rely directly on the Strait of Hormuz for most imports, the conflict in Iran has triggered global oil price spikes and regional supply disruptions that have severely impacted local transport costs.

For families on the water, these costs create immediate barriers. Some students, including Soksan, have resorted to carpooling or borrowing money for fuel. “Five students collect money to buy gasoline, sometimes just one liter at a time,” Soksan explained. When funds run out, they row manually, a journey that can take up to an hour.

Siyien Ly, also 12, walks more than 30 minutes during the dry season but depends on an aid-supported boat when floods make roads impassable. Her mother, Kunthea Chin, took up selling sugarcane juice after her husband suffered hearing loss in a water accident. With daily earnings halved from roughly $20 to $10, the family spends about 600,000 riel ($150) monthly on fuel for both transport and the business.

Samphors Vorn, country director for Action Education in Cambodia, emphasized that access to education in remote areas hinges on mobility. “When fuel prices rise, the cost of that journey rises with them. For families already living with very limited incomes, this can turn transportation into a barrier to attendance and, ultimately, to a child’s right to education,” Vorn said.

The situation is compounded by climate change, which has altered water levels and weather patterns, making boat travel riskier. Parents worry about overcrowding and safety during storms as families try to share rides to save money. Additionally, schools face higher operational costs for delivering teachers, textbooks, and supplies via boat.

While the Cambodian government has implemented fuel discounts and tax reductions to cushion consumers, these measures have not fully protected low-income households. For families like that of Nary, a 14-year-old who has dropped out due to health complications, and her sister Naren, the dual burden of climate instability and economic shock is critical. Their father, Tit Sarin, earns $7.50 daily fishing but spends nearly that amount on fuel to reach distant waters, forcing the family into low-wage day labor when they cannot afford to boat.