The “digital books” programme will allow students to use smart devices to view informational 3D images and animations superimposed over their study materials. Supplied
By simply scanning a QR code on each lesson, students can use their smartphones to see live 3D animations and hear sound descriptions about the lesson content, helping them learn and remember the material more quickly
In 2025, high school students at some state-run schools will be introduced to this new form of education in Cambodia called "digital books”.
The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, along with E-School Cambodia, has been working to develop the tool since signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in early July to enhance digital skills for both students and teachers.
These digital books use virtual technology, allowing students to scan a QR code on each lesson with a mobile phone or tablet. All the information will then appear on their devices, superimposed over the book, with visual 3D animations and voice commentary to help students quickly understand the lesson.
According to the ministry, learning through these books can help many students discover their innate skills, guiding them towards subjects they enjoy.
Heng Chulsa, director of Extended Reality Development at E-School Cambodia, said the books would introduce modern technology that is already in use in other countries around the world.
He noted that since 1979, Cambodian students have learned primarily by reading, memorising and looking at pictures in textbooks. Teachers sometimes instruct students to draw pictures to help them remember. Consequently, real images, such as the brain, heart, blood vessels, world maps, historical sites or complex subjects like atoms and chemical elements, are rarely seen by students.
“But this digital book will allow students to use their mobile phones to scan any lesson in math, history, geography and other sciences, and the content will appear right away,” he said.
“It explains the lesson to students. For example, if you learn about the brain or heart, you will see the brain and heart appear in the book with animations, sound and other explanations according to the lesson content in the ministry's textbooks,” he explained.
He added that when studying history, such as the Chenla or Angkorian periods, students will be able to see the lives of the people and the realities of those eras directly in the digital book.
“This helps students learn faster, remember better and understand the lesson more thoroughly. It aligns with the government’s policy that focuses on people, technology, society and the economy,” he said.
A first of its kind
Through the signing of the MoU, E-School Cambodia has been developing content to include on each page of the textbooks for Grades 1 to 12. Students can scan QR codes to see and understand the lesson visually, without having to imagine as before. The digital book is not just a PDF or a scanned picture of a book but an interactive experience.
The new technology also helps students who have difficulty reading or who feel peer pressure from faster readers. It allows all students to gain equal knowledge, collaborate and enjoy watching lessons together.
Due to concerns about the effects of mobile phone use on people’s eyes, especially children, Chulsa mentioned that the digital book will initially be introduced to high school students, who require extensive research studies.
The digital book programme is scheduled to launch in 2025 in some schools in Phnom Penh and the provinces. The project includes training teachers on the use of digital books, scheduling lessons, preparing pedagogical plans for each lesson and updating and maintaining hardware and other data, according to the ministry.
The Ministry highlighted that the achievements of the collaboration will help build the capacity of digital citizens and promote the use of information and communication technology in the education sector. This aligns with the goals of the government’s Pentagonal Strategy to promote digitalisation in education, citizenship, government and the economy.
Chulsa also mentioned that, currently, no other educational institution has invested in such technology at this level. Other institutions are merely scanning books and uploading them as PDFs or flip books.
“No school has done this yet. E-School Cambodia is the first to implement this level of technology. Developing such content will help students learn, remember and understand a lesson in less time. They can quickly find subjects they like and focus on them, helping them discover life skills earlier,” he said.
Khuon Vicheka, spokeswoman for the ministry, said the exact number of books to be included in the programme is not yet known, as the team is still in discussions and planning pilot tests.
Globally, Generation Z is deeply engaged with technology, making it difficult for them to disconnect from it. The world is ahead of Cambodia in using technology in various sectors, including education, and Cambodia is working to catch up, according to Chulsa.
