Press Release

22nd January 2008

Launching of the Khmer Language ICT textbook for all Schools and Teacher Training Colleges, and inauguration of the Low Cost Computing Research Laboratory for Education

His Excellency Im Sethy - Secretary of State at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport - launched today the new Khmer language ICT textbook that will be used by all public teaching institutions in Cambodia. The book marks the change to use computer programs in Khmer language in all schools, phasing out the teaching programs that are in English or French. The Secretary of State also inaugurated the Low Cost Computing Research Laboratory for Education, a new research laboratory that will study the issue of sustainability of computer facilities in schools.

Both activities are part of the Open schools Program, a joint initiative of the Ministry and the Open Institute NGO that aims at improving the quality of education in Cambodia through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

The Open Schools Program is a three phase project that will mainly develop and implement a Master Plan for ICT in Education. The first stage of the program is to deploy the teaching of software in Khmer language in schools, teacher training centers and other training institutions. The second phase is to do the necessary research and planning that will lead to the drafting of the Master Plan for ICT in Education. The last part will be the implementation of the Master Plan.

The new ICT Textbook is the new reference ICT textbook for all schooling levels, teacher training institutions, and the administration of MoEYS. Its distribution to all of the marks the end of the first stage of the Open Schools Program. Teachers from all uppers secondary schools that have computers (25%) - as well as educators from all teacher training centers - have already been trained to teach Khmer language computer applications. The institutions among these that are still teaching English language software will change to teach software in Khmer language. The Khmer language computer applications being used are free (Open Source) and cover word processing, spreadsheets, Internet, e-mail, and many other uses of computers.

The Low Cost Computing Research Laboratory for Education is the first one - worldwide - to look specifically at the issue of sustainability of school facilities in developing countries. It will analyze the costs of software, hardware, electricity, maintenance and training of teachers.

The laboratory has already started looking into the issue of power-consumption, a major concern in Cambodia. It has studied several specialized computers that - while giving the required service - use only a 10% to 20% of the electricity used by a normal desktop computer of the same capacity. It will also look into alternative sources of electricity, which might become reasonably priced when using low-power-consumption computers.

The Lab has also started producing prototypes for a first generation of computer cases specially designed for the the conditions under which computers have to operate in schools (electricity, dust, security, etc.). For testing these technologies, the Laboratory has installed a first low-cost computer room at the National Institute of Education (the institution in charge of training all high school teachers in Cambodia). Computers for this room have been donated by Intel Corporation.

During the ceremony - at the National Institute of Education - His Excellency Im Sethy remarked "the importance that ICT will have in the future of Cambodian" adding that "Its deployment must reach all students in the education system in a language that they clearly understand, it must be sustainable, and it must be done in a systematic way, through the careful planning that will embed in the Master Plan for ICT in Education."

The Khmer language ICT textbook has been printed with the support of Spanish Cooperation, InWEnt, UNESCO, and VVOB. The Low Cost Computing Research Laboratory for Education will operate under the support of Spanish Cooperation and other donors.

Links:
Low Cost Computing for Education Laboratory: www.open.org.kh/locolab
Open Schools Program - www.open.org.kh/osp
Ministry - www.moeys.gov.kh
Open Institute - www.open.org.kh/
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http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/D201GLY/index.htm