SUCCESS & INNOVATION

Ms. Sin Laiheang, a master trainer and ICT teacher at Hun Sen Kampong Cham High School - New Generation School, participated in the Khmer Digital Literacy Programme (KDLP) resources pilot in February 2024. In today’s digital age, technology has become a key tool for communication, but it also brings risks as malicious individuals exploit it to deceive and betray trust. These things happened because vulnerable people aren’t aware of utilizing social media in an inappropriate way.  

 

Ms. Laiheang teaches the KDLP for four hours each week. The students ​have gained insightful knowledge from the programme, including how to maintain personal privacy, the pros and cons of sharing information, digital citizenship, online reputation, the verification steps, and knowing the

ir boundaries and what they should and shouldn’t do. Therefore, the KDLP has taught students to know how to protect themselves via online platforms and enhanced internet usage and social media even better in the future.

 

She emphasized that “many students show little concern about social media security. However, after participating in the programme, they become more cautious about protecting their accounts, with concerns about hacking and safeguarding their personal identity. They also begin to worry more about their safety and the risk of online abuse. Therefore, this programme equips students with the knowledge to use digital platforms more responsibly.”

She faced two main challenges while teaching the course: most students lacked personal smartphones, and the lesson slides were not as useful as expected. To address these issues, she received permission from the school to use school computers and tablets for lessons, including

 pre-tests and post-tests, especially transformed the lesson into interactive activities. Meanwhile, core teams also provided technical support and consultative workshops before starting to implement KDLP,, aiming to help master trainers complete their tasks conveniently. 

In conclusion, she suggested that the project should review and edit the lesson slides to improve clarity and ease of instruction. Expanding the programme to more schools would also help students learn to use social media responsibly.

Sovutha Sereyvathana, a grade 7 student at Hen Sen Kampong Cham High School and one of the 

beneficiaries, said, "​ As time went by, my utilizing digital did not have security because I do not know how to protect personal data on social media. However, after participating in the programme, I could leverage social media more securely.  The KDLP has been incredibly beneficial in teaching me to use digital tools effectively and protect myself on the internet."