The PIEoneer Awards, organised by the Professionals in International Education (The PIE), a global company offering services for professionals working in international education, celebrates innovation and achievements in international education covering 14 different categories this year.

An English language school from Cambodia, the Australian Centre for Education (ACE), was one of the top four across the globe put forward as a finalist for the Language Educator of the Year Award for 2018.

The award ceremony was held in London on 7th September 2018. The other three contenders were the British Study Centres (United Kingdom), CIEE Global Navigator High School Summer Abroad (USA) and MalacaInstituto (Spain) – the award went to Spain.

This international recognition puts Cambodia on the international stage for the provision of English language teaching and also demonstrates ACE’s world-class teaching approach and academic excellence in language education.

ACE was established in 1992 by IDP Education to provide language training for the United Nations peacekeeping forces in the lead up to organising the first general election in Cambodia after the war.

ACE has a rich history of success in Cambodia by contributing to English language proficiency over three generations of Cambodian students - many of whom now use the language on a daily basis for their business, education and general communication.

“It is an honour to be recognised for this international award, with ACE representing the only school in this category from Asia. I would like to thank the judges for their acknowledgement of ACE’s commitment to excellence and The PIE for organising the PIEoneer Awards to celebrate accomplishments in international education,” said Mao Sreng, Country Director of IDP Education while representing ACE at the London award ceremony.

Running five campuses in Cambodia withstudents of more than 20 nationalities, ACE Principal, Ashley Irving stressed the importance of ACE’s ability to adopt learning platforms and technology to help students accelerate their progress in language acquisition.

“The school isn’t just about teaching students English but the curriculum also integrates exposure to developing soft skills such as critical thinking, public speaking, debating, information management and technology, cultural awareness, communication, interpersonal skills and general world knowledge,” said Ashley Irving.

“ACE has been playing a very important role in the education sector by providing good English language programs to many Cambodian students,” said HE Dr Hang Chuon Naron, Minister of Education, Youth and Sport at ACE’s 25th Anniversary in Cambodia.

“I was very pleased to hear that ACE was among the top four globally for the award here in London. On behalf of the Royal Embassy, I warmly congratulate ACE for such an excellent job in its teaching services to students in Cambodia and for the impact it’s made on the quality of human resources over the past 26 years,” said Cambodian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, HE Dr. Soeung Rathchavy.

“The PIEoneer Awards are prestigious awards to recognize and inspire service excellence and innovation in international education with nominations coming from around the world for the different award categories. I’m impressed that ACE is the first English language school from Asia to have made it to the top four for the Language Educator of the Year Category,” said Amy Baker, PIEoneer Awards Founder and PIE Managing Director.