Cambodia Participates in UNESCO’s Mobile Learning Week

From 12 – 14 October, UNESCO hosted “Beyond Disruption: Technology Enabled Learning Futures”, an online conference that featured 100 speakers including 10 ministers and leaders of various EdTech companies and international development agencies, to bring attention to the prospects for technology-enabled futures of learning specifically in the light of COVID-19 education disruption and response.

Representatives from the Royal Government of Cambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) were active participants of the conference. On Day 1, His Excellency (H.E.) Dr. Nath Bunroeun, Secretary of State, MoEYS, participated in a high-level panel on “Distance learning policies with a focus on evidence and data” where he shared Cambodia’s experience with distance learning during the outbreak of COVID-19 along with Ministry representatives from Egypt, Ethiopia, Côte d'Ivoire, Slovenia and Saudi Arabia. The session, which was chaired by Ms. Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education UNESCO, was focused on sharing knowledge about what worked with regard to distance learning policies in various countries. Representatives shared examples of their respective national distance learning programmes and how they helped meet the learning needs of students, mitigated learning loss and maintained quality of learning. H.E. Dr. Nath Bunroeun mentioned the important role of Cambodian teachers and how they guided students on how to absorb information and become more active participants in learning.

On Day 2 that focused on innovative solutions, Mr. Sok Tha, the Director of Department of Information Technology, MoEYS represented Cambodia in the breakout session on “COVID-19 is changing the landscape of foundational literacy and digital skills”. He was joined by representatives from the Global Digital Library, Norway and Curious Learning USA. The conference closed on 14 October with breakout sessions focused on setting out policy and research agendas to build back better.

For additional information about the conference, please visit https://mlw2020.org.