Since 2015 the British Embassy in Cambodia, and the Cambodian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MOEYS) have been proactively engaging and fostering a strong relationship.

The British Embassy has been doing this in an effort to promote innovative projects around STEM subjects and curriculums, and remain Cambodia’s partner of choice when it comes to STEM education.

The profile and awareness of STEM education has been significantly lifted due to the efforts of the MOEYS and the British Embassy across Cambodia. Together they have helped to raise the number of students in the Kingdom studying the STEM curriculums at schools, and STEM subjects at universities.

By making students and parents aware of the benefits of studying STEM subjects and demonstrating the exciting careers that STEM graduates are opened up to, the British Embassy is looking to the future with MOEYS in order to sustain the kinds of skills needed for Cambodia’s future.

Examples of the sorts of initiatives that MOEYS and the British Embassy have activated in coordination with other stakeholders include The STEM Bus Roadshow.

The bus drives around the entirety of Cambodia exposing children to a practical, hands-on STEM experience. Raising awareness and generating enthusiasm in an effort to promote STEM subjects, the STEM bus takes exhibitions to students in various schools.

These exhibitions are specially designed to be festive and fun, they promote curiosity and engaged team learning and communication between students, teachers and parents.

The STEM Career Guide Book (SCGB) was another joint initiative, and a first of its kind in Cambodia. The book helps individuals identify where their most stimulating opportunities may lie in terms of transitioning into a career in a STEM field. It has given young Cambodians inspiration and motivation by introducing them to professions they may not have heard of, detailing to students the path to their chosen profession.

In terms of practical information the SCGB can be invaluable to students in the Kingdom. It will help them to understand the requirements in terms of skill set, and help them to see and understand the opportunities that lie within Cambodia and abroad by joining a STEM career.

In an effort to look to the future and promote young women entering STEM education and eventually working in STEM fields, Sky Pods children’s book was written and published. The book was written by former British Deputy Ambassador to Cambodia, Dr Bryony Mathew. The aim of the book is to inspire young Cambodian girls to develop an interest in engineering and as such the book is bilingual English/Khmer.

The British Embassy is now focusing on educational campaigns to promote technical and vocational education and training in Cambodia. Given the British Embassies track record of promoting UK expertise in the educational field, this cooperative relationship with the MOEYS promises to serve Cambodian society in to the future.