‘Foundation needed for digital education’
EDUCATION Minister Hang Chuon Naron said on Tuesday that the Kingdom needs a strong educational foundation and quality teaching workforce to sustain its development of digital education.
Digital education inspires solutions for strengthening and developing the agricultural, industrial and commercial sectors, said Chuon Naron, at a public talk on Digital Literacy of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 at the Cambodia-Korea Cooperation Centre (CKCC).
Additionally, digital education also teaches the required knowledge which can be used to ease traffic congestion, which is a major problem in Phnom Penh.
“The ministry celebrated World Teachers’ Day with the theme The Quality of Teachers Determines the Foundation of Digital Education to keep track of the digital education trend.
“In 2020, the educational convention will focus on discussing digital education development in Cambodia. We must have a strong educational foundation to keep up with the pace of digital education development,” said Chuon Naron.
The minister said: “Without enough qualified teachers, we cannot leverage the advantages of technological knowledge. In other words, if there is a lack of technological knowledge, we do not have the resources to use technology to develop the economy.
“Cambodia can set digital education as its focus in its educational framework and system. However, it will be useless if no one applies the knowledge to benefit our daily lives.
“Therefore, students should change their attitude and apply their knowledge in efforts to develop the country.
“We must advise students to do more self-studies. Students must have a positive attitude, be disciplined, practise critical thinking, have good problem-solving skills, and apply their knowledge to effectively work in a team. ”
Within the last six years, the ministry has improved the quality of education through reforms to produce quality teachers, and improve the curriculum, educational inspection and evaluation, as well as the quality of the universities.
Year three student at the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) Chhorm Chhay said on Tuesday that his university education is better as compared to his high school studies. Chhay’s statement was based on his observation that professors at his university utilise digital knowledge to facilitate their teaching.
The 22-year-old student who participated in the public talk said: “The professors always advised students to do more self-research through the internet.
“Besides, they use slide presentations in lecture sessions so that students can use slide print-outs as materials for revision at home,” he said.
Nowadays, university professors have changed their teaching approach and encouraged students to do more self-studies. This is a clear difference to teaching of the book, which was what they were doing four or five years ago.