The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport on Wednesday announced that it will cooperate with Panasonic Asia Pacific to start developing e-learning studios for online classes. The ministry further requested solar panels to help provide electricity to schools.

Panasonic has agreed to donate air conditioners to all current and new online studios to create a comfortable environment for the critically important work of educating children in the Kingdom.

The initiative was decided upon during a meeting between the ministry’s secretary of state Kim Sethany, a representative of Panasonic Asia Pacific and the ministry’s information technology director.

“During the Covid-19 pandemic, the ministry will give online education to students in the Kingdom. But schools need electricity to support the online classes Sethany said.

She thanked Panasonic for providing solar panels, and especially for donating them to schools in rural areas.

Panasonic’s regional director Maresuke Iijima said the first step of the initiative is to provide current and planned online studios with air conditioners.

The air conditioners will make the classrooms more comfortable and benefit the ministry and teachers as they attempt to reach as many students as possible in the Kingdom with online education, Iijima said.

“We are still considering what kind of support is best for society and the ministry,” he said.

Ministry spokesman Ros Soveacha said on Wednesday that it requested Panasonic to put solar panels in rural schools as they attempt to create online class studios.

“Solar panel installation in schools will help generate electricity to use during online classes at schools, especially those in rural areas. Panasonic is considering this request,” Soveacha said.

In the past, the company has helped to enhance the education sector in Cambodia by providing scholarships to students in high school. It also gave solar panels to schools in the countryside, he said.