Today, August 12, is the International Youth Day; in other words, the opportunity to celebrate the progress that has been made to improve young people’s life all around the world. Cambodia still has a long way to go tough. According to the World Bank reports, Cambodian children who couldn’t enjoy full quality education, good health and proper nutrition during their childhood, will be 51% less productive once they get adults, as they could have been by enjoying at least satisfying living conditions. 1
People under 30 years old represent 65% of the Cambodian population. Thereby, youth well being has to be ensured in order to make the country move forward. The first and best tool to do so remains education, playing a key role in social and economic development. Yet, although the enrollment rate in primary education reaches 90%, it suddenly drops under 14% regarding tertiary education. 2
Figures get even worse concerning Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), which suffers from a lack of visibility and people’s low awareness rate: only 2% of the 15-24 years old Cambodian are enrolled in professional education. Moreover, there are still a lot of disparities, in terms of resources quality standards, between private and public schools, as well as a huge gap between Phnom Penh and the province.
In the end, the Cambodian road to education is filled with ambush. A lot of barriers are preventing youth from accessing a quality education. At SALA, we believe how powerful can be a proper education and how important is the youth well being in the strenuous path towards a better future. That’s the reason why we emphasize our efforts to enrich students’ journey and bring education to the next era.
We are convinced the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) (such as computers, smartphones and internet content) is necessary to improve both access and quality of education. Those digital tools show multiple benefits which can transform the teaching and learning process. Screens, games or web surfing support teacher training and interactivity in class. Students become more autonomous and develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. Technology is also an efficient tool to ensure quality, equity and accessibility to education, such as minorities or youth out of school. ICT is also valuable for administrators, as it enhances and automates school management. Finally, mastering technology is essential for the youth as technology is part of daily life.
To support digitization and innovation of Cambodian education, SALA focuses on several main objectives. Thanks to SALA Management software, we help schools to improve their management system and thus, allow them to provide energy on student care, satisfaction and monitoring. We provide an e-learning application software to facilitate knowledge sharing, communication and class continuity over school closure periods. Most of all, we encourage young Cambodians to continue their education and find their path in life thanks to an online enrollment platform listing complete information on Cambodia schools, including Universities and K12.
Furthermore, the importance of ICT in the education area has been revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, followed by schools closure. As two million Cambodian students cannot access online education yet, due to the lack of infrastructure, education stops here for them and for a while. However, to ensure the success of such devices, all educational stakeholders must cooperate to provide both adapted facilities and content available in Khmer language. This is why we are developing partnerships with other institutions such as SIPAR or Wapatoa, to make sure every young Cambodian can access technology and relevant content.
Today, let’s celebrate youth, so that tomorrow Cambodia shines!
Sources:
[1] World Bank, Overview of Cambodia, last updated April 2020. URL: https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/cambodia/overview [consulted the 07/08/2020]
[2] UNESCO, Cambodia country profile. URL: http://uis.unesco.org/country/KH [consulted the 10/08/2020]
[3] Joshua Purushotman and Khat Leakhena, “Education programmes elude two million students”, The Phnom Penh Post, 29 April 2020. URL: https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/education-programmes-elude-two-million-students [consulted the 10/08/2020]
