Minister of Economy and Finance Aun Pornmoniroth presided over the November 1 formal inauguration of the ASEAN Centre for Digital Education on the campus of Preah Sisowath High School in Phnom Penh.
He said that the education system is making the kinds of positive changes needed to develop the digital economy. Learners are being prepared to constantly expand their skillsets, adapt themselves to an ever-changing work ecosystem, and cultivate creative ideas to lead the digital transformation.
“Student and teachers need to tie themselves to the latest educational innovations, digital content and a quality curriculum. They also need to connect to study to meet the needs of the job market – which requires digital competency. Thankfully, the Kingdom is building a network of educational institutions with new models for 21st century skills development,” he said.
He added that it was crucial to recognise the importance of digital technology as not only a tool that can help make lessons more effective, but also a core part of what was being learned.
The inauguration reflected the government’s efforts – through the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport – to accelerate the digital transformation of the education ecosystem by making sure that educational technology was reaching the hands of students, he said.
Minister of Education, Youth and Sport Hang Chuon Naron said the inauguration marked another milestone of positive changes in the education sector. The digitalisation of education will contribute to developing the human capital resources of the Kingdom, he added.
“The ASEAN Centre for Digital Education is in a renovated heritage building on the campus of Preah Sisowath High School. It serves as a symbol of the transformation of the education,” he said.
He added that the high school had been chosen as the location of the new facility as it is one of the oldest campuses in Cambodia. It was established in 1873.
The centre has collated all of the documents and videos that were prepared during the two years of distance learning during the Covid-19 pandemic, and created a digital network. Students can access the network – via an app – to learn.
In addition, the centre features a school management system that new generation schools will use to manage the attendance of students and staff. It will also offer new teaching tools to educators. Teachers can record videos for their students, and it is expected that other teachers will use the videos to improve their own lessons.
Chuon Naron said the education ministry had turned the challenges of the pandemic closures into an opportunity to promote digital education, whether through social media videos, the learning management system or the Cambodian Cyber University Network.
