Empowering Cambodian Educators: Advancing Digital Professional Development
Strategic Gathering of Digital Education Stakeholders
Digital education stakeholders in Cambodia convened to strategize for the second phase of the UNICEF Digital Education program. This initiative, funded by the Capacity Development Partnership Fund Phase III, aims to enhance continuous professional development (CPD) for teachers, teacher educators, and educational staff throughout the country.
Ongoing Support and Expansion Plans
With ongoing support from UNICEF and the Cambodian government's dedication to elevating teacher skills, the digital CPD platform will be expanded over the next three years. The goal is to ensure its long-term viability as a crucial resource for educators.
Assessing Existing Platforms
In the first phase of the program, we focused on evaluating existing CPD platforms to provide strategic guidance to the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports. This involved conducting a national landscape assessment to identify effective digital learning interventions for teachers and students. The insights gained led to the creation of a Capacity Development Platform (CDP), an integrated online platform designed for the continuous professional development of teachers and teacher educators.
Features of the Capacity Development Platform
The CDP offers evidence-based resources to enhance educators’ skills in subject-specific instruction, active learning methodologies, classroom management, and remediation techniques. Currently, the platform serves over 2,600 educators, providing access to more than 20 courses, including early-grade reading, math, mentoring, and career counseling. It has gained traction among five government departments, such as those focusing on primary education and digital transformation.
Principles of Human-Centered Design
The development of the digital CPD platform adheres to human-centered and user-focused design principles, ensuring that technology is used in an accessible, equitable, and responsible manner.
Governance Structure for Phase Two
Phase two will involve establishing a governance group comprising representatives from various Ministry of Education departments and formulating a governance strategy. This will facilitate continuous collaboration and resource allocation. The expansion will include surveying partners to evaluate existing courses and identifying opportunities to convert in-person courses into blended or fully online formats.
Commitment to Collaboration
At the program inception meeting, World Education engaged with representatives from multiple government departments and teacher education institutes to outline core activities, work plans, success metrics, and risk mitigation strategies. Participants demonstrated a strong commitment to working together on this vital initiative.
We are eager to support government priorities, improve the quality of education in schools nationwide, and build upon the existing framework for sustainable digital learning in Cambodia.
