The ImprovedBasic Education in Cambodia (IBEC) project held itsfourth Best Practices dissemination workshop on 28 August 2013 in Phnom Penh. Studentrepresentatives from Kampong Cham, Kratie and Siem Reap, the 3 targetprovinces, school directors, partner NGOs, USAID representatives and otherstakeholders were invited to attend the workshop.

 

Six topics were included in theworkshop such as Strategies to Address Teacher Shortages; Improved Reading andWriting; Public & Private Partnerships: the way forward – Responding to thechallenge of private alternatives to public education; School Management andLeadership Training Course (SMLTC), experiences from Voluntary Service Overseas(VSO); Integrated ICT in teaching and learning; and Commune Education For All Committeesprovision of Matching funds.

 

During the workshop, Mr. Eng Sok,the IBEC Deputy Chief of Party, said IBEC life skills activities had beenexpanded in to three additional provinces: Kampong Thom, Prey Veng and SvayRieng this year. In order to respond to the needs of the 21st century, IBECaimed to improve research, discovery learning methods and improved methods forchildren to learn. In other news, 16 life skills manuals have now been approvedand signed by the Minister of Education for use throughout the country. Inaddition, school directors within the IBEC Project have received training onschool management and leadership. Teacher trainees from disadvantaged andremote areas have been provided with scholarships in order to help MoEYS addressteacher shortages in these areas IBEC has also  constructed wells, provided water systems, andrepaired and built toilets, model libraries and science and computer labs intarget schools. He reported that intervention schools had seen significantdecreases in dropout and repetition.

 

Mr. Chhay Sok Channa, who isresponsible for ICT interventions, said that the ICT team had been trainingteachers from different subjects. They were trained how to use Open Office  and especially on how to maintain computers. TheICT team also trained teachers in using the project work method to facilitatethe implementation of subject and newsletter clubs. The teachers used theseskills to teach their students to research and collect information from thecommunities for presenting to their classes. “The activities of researching,gathering information and student presentations helped them remember their lessonsbetter than their regular studies,” he continued. More than 30,000 studentshave been able to benefit from ICT studies in project target areas.

 

IBEC also provided students with thechance to try out and become more confident in public speaking. During theworkshop, three students presented some of the results of their history club researchrelated to “ASEAN countries”. They explained about ASEAN registration, the benefitsof joining together to have mixed Asian markets, equal cooperation in the Asianeconomy, and making and strengthening ties between countries in the AsiaPacific region. They said the ASEAN association had now become the ASEAN community.They also showed and illustrated the different currencies of ASEAN countries tomembers of the workshop. They were also given time to answer the questions whichworkshop participants raised.

 

Mr. Hin Simhuon, the KAPE ViceDirector, said that opportunities for students such as this and the annualproject work fairs held in target areas gave a real sense of pride to thestudents when they see how much their new found skills and confidence impressestheir communities and stakeholders at the local and national level.

 

Mr. Ul Run, the IBEC Deputy Chief of Party mentioned duringhis presentation, that IBEC is cooperating closely with TRAC, which is a newproject, supported by All Children Reading with co-funding by USAID, WorldVision and AusAID. TRAC aims to enhance the ability of children in Cambodiato acquire essential early reading skills through an approach that focuses onthe totality of the child’s learning environment including classroom learningand assessment as well as parental reinforcement. “There are many problemsfaced in ensuring the participation of parents in their children’s education inCambodia. But IBEC and TRAC are seeing some real success in reading outcomesthrough improved practice at school and in children’s homes,” he said.

 

Kurt Bredenberg, the KAPE Senior Technical Adviser, made a presentation about the proliferation of privateschools and the challenge that this presents to the public school system, particularlyin the cities where most of the private schools are springing up. These trendsare increasing the gap between rich and poor. His presentation talked about thepotential of public and private partnerships as a possible way forward torespond to the challenges of private alternatives to public education. He alsoexplained how public private partnerships could make an important contributionto improving education in Cambodia.

 

Mr. Leang Sovany, the ImprovedSchool Management and Community Engagement team leader of IBEC, reported on thechanges observed in school directors following the School Management andLeadership Training Course (MLTC) they attended, particularly in theirmotivation to make improvements in the school and improved behaviors such ascoming to school before the students and teachers.

 

At the end of the workshop, Mr. ChanNarin, the IBEC Chief of Party, said that participants and interested parties couldrequest more details about the project and copies of the documents from WorldEducation.

 

Theworkshop organization and logistics were organized by the NGO EducationPartnership (NEP), using IBEC funds. IBEC is funded byUSAID and implemented by World Education (WE) in close collaboration with KAPE.It’s three main target provinces are Kampong Cham, Kratie and Siem Reap, with the project due to run for 5 years from 2009 to 2014.This year, following the success of the life skills pilot, life skillsactivities were also extended to 3 additional provinces, as indicated above.