The launch party for the Khmer Digital Literacy Programme held on March 22. PHOTO SUPPLIED
A new “Khmer Digital Literacy” programme will be introduced to improve and enhance digital skills for around 5,000 Cambodian educators and students in its first phase.
The programme is sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport along with NGO Kampuchea Action to Promote Education (KAPE) and Meta, the parent company of Facebook.
They plan to launch the programme at six new generation schools (NGS), after which 12 master trainers from those schools will be recruited to continue to train others in the Khmer Digital Literacy programme.
“I am looking forward to seeing the results of the Khmer Digital Literacy programme and how it will positively impact our students and educators,” said Kim Sethany, secretary of state of the education ministry. “This course will equip schools with the necessary skills to thrive in the digital age, and we look forward to seeing their growth and success.”
The “Train the Trainers” (ToT) workshop will combine the existing ICT curriculum at NGS with the “We Think Digital” curriculum from Meta to equip the master trainers with the knowledge to teach digital literacy courses to students at target schools.
The programme is aimed at those who are new to the internet as well as those who want to improve their existing digital skills.
The Khmer Digital Literacy programme will begin implementation in April and will run until September. During the six month course, the education ministry, Meta and KAPE are hoping to teach 3,000-5,000 students digital literacy skills and knowledge that they will be able to use in the real world.
“At Meta, we believe that digital literacy is essential for everyone to fully participate in the digital world. We are proud to support the Khmer Digital Literacy programme and its efforts to equip Cambodian citizens with the skills needed to navigate the online landscape safely and effectively,” said Pheakdey Heng, public policy manager at Meta in Cambodia.
“We are excited to see the positive impact this programme will have on the community and look forward to continuing the partnership,” he said.
Hin Simhuon, deputy director of KAPE, said he was delighted to partner with Meta to launch the programme as it will help students and educators enhance their digital skills.
“The goal of the digital literacy programme is to equip people with the knowledge and abilities they need to prosper in the digital age today. By offering everyone access to digital materials through this programme, we seek to bridge the digital gap,” said Simhuon.
