Cambodia: Ministry of Education and Open Institute Sign Agreement on Training of Cambodian Teachers in the Use of Information and Communication Technology

[Harold Schiffman]

23.8.2007: Ministry of Education and Open Institute Sign Agreement on
Training of Cambodian Teachers in the Use of Information and
Communication Technology

Posted on August 24th, 2007.

The Mirror, Vol. 11, No. 522

"Phnom Penh: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS) and
the Open Institute (a local non-government organization) signed an
agreement to develop the human resources structure of the MoEYS for
training in the use of Information and Communication Technology [ICT]
in the education system.

"The agreement includes also the creation of ICT programs for high
schools and universities, and research on the selection of the most
appropriate ICT technologies to be used. The most important element
are the arrangements for the drafting of a Master Plan for ICT in
Education, to systematically guide the progress towards the
integration of educational technologies with all sectors of teaching,
learning, and management in schools during the next five to seven
years.

"According to the press release, this effort, called the Open Schools
Program, integrates policies and experiences of the MoEYS and
important skills of the Open Institute, as well as the experiences of
the cooperating group members.

"The Khmer computer project KhmerOS is a project under the
coordination of the Open Institute, which has created and tested Khmer
language computer software in different professional and school
environments for four years. The Open Institute operates also another
project, called the Open Learning Project, which will create the tools
and the Khmer language skills for distance learning.

"The Open Schools Program's main focus is on the effectiveness and the
sustainability of ICT education in Cambodia. The technology and the
ideas that will be tested before the implementation of the Master Plan
for ICT in Education are centered on the use of Khmer language
computer programs (instead of English language programs) for the use
of ICT in education, the use of low-priced computers with a low
consumption of electricity, which generally means to find solutions
which are sustainable over a long time, and programs that can support
different operational systems that guarantee that the systems can also
use higher-priced computers. One part of this work is the training of
all ITC teachers also in computer maintenance, to have a first level
of computer support even in schools in remote areas.

"At the signing ceremony, Dr. Kol Pheng, Senior Minister and Minister
of Education, Youth and Sports, recalled the recent report of the
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) with came
to the conclusion, 'Unless the Least Developed Countries adopt
policies to stimulate technological catch-up with the rest of the
world, they will continue to fall behind other countries
technologically, and face deepening marginalization in the global
economy.' [Adding from the MoEYS's 2005 Policy and Strategies for the
use of ICT for Teaching and Learning] 'A country advances when
technology becomes common, and technology only becomes common when it
is in the language of the country.'

"Ms. Chim Manavy, the Executive Director of the Open Institute, said
in her statement, 'The Open Schools Program is the result of the
efforts of four years in the development of computer programs and
training materials in the Khmer language, and it is connected with
other projects of the Open Institute, such as Open Learning, Women and
ICT, Khmer Language Dictionaries (Lexicography).'

"The first stage of the program receives support from the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, from the
Spanish cooperation agency Agencia Española de Cooperación
Internacional, and from Capacity Building International Germany -
InWEnt." Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.6, #1425, 23.8.2007

http://cambodiamirror.wordpress.com/2007/08/24/thursday-2382007-ministry-of-education-and-open-institute-sign-agreement-on-training-of-cambodian-teachers-in-the-use-of-information-and-communication-technology/

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