The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in Cambodia – along with other development partners participating virtually – are holding the first-ever National STEM Education Fair for three days from December 13-15 to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics in schools.

Chan Roth, director of the New Generation Pedagogical Research Centre under the National Institute of Education, said the fair’s purpose was to raise awareness about the benefits of STEM education and to promote the use of information technology in education.

“The purpose of holding this festival is to exchange experiences through discussions of various models of STEM education and share perspectives on the implementation of STEM education at the school level. It also provides opportunities for teachers and students to keep in touch as a community as well as develop their professional capabilities, knowledge and experience,” he said.

Roth said that currently, the education system is changing faster than expected, requiring correct and clear planning in response to these global changes.

Researchers, teachers, educators, advisers, counsellors and students were all invited to join the fair to share knowledge and experiences. Forty-one teachers are being trained at the Teacher Training Centre for Stem Education at the fair.

KOICA Cambodia country representative Rho Hyun-jun said the Cambodian government was focused on STEM through the education ministry by providing a lot of support to STEM education efforts.

“The education sector is also an important part of KOICA in Cambodia and also a strategic point for our partnership project. In light of this point, as a key development partner and long-term friend of Cambodia, KOICA also made education a priority in assisting [the Kingdom],” he said.

Education minister Hang Chuon Naron said at the opening ceremony that the event aimed to raise awareness of the importance of STEM to all public schools, teacher training institutions and private educational institutions.

“This fair has inspired teachers to demonstrate their ability in teaching STEM and enabled students to showcase their creative work through a five-minute video production. The fair has also provided the opportunity for talented young students to demonstrate their STEM skills on national and international stages,” he said.