The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport and UNESCO launch $12.62 million STEPCam Programme Phase II to support teachers

Teachers are the cornerstone of quality education and student learning, embodying the knowledge and skills essential for developing future generations. To ensure that every student receives a high-quality education, it is imperative that teachers are qualified, motivated, and competent. Importantly, teachers should be supported by an education system that values the profession, providing them with the resources, recognition, and opportunities for professional development and growth needed to thrive.

Since the 2022 Global Transforming Education Summit at the 77^th UN General Assembly, the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) has reaffirmed its commitment to implementing Cambodia's Education Roadmap 2030, aiming to achieve SDG4 on quality education. The National Statement of Commitment highlights "high-quality teaching force" and "digital education" as key priorities for transforming the education system into a quality, inclusive, and resilient one within a sustainable, knowledge-based society, to achieve Cambodia's Vision to become an upper-middle-income nation by 2030 and high-income status by 2050.

At the event held on 7 August 2024, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) and UNESCO officially launched the second phase of the Strengthening Teacher Education Programmes in Cambodia (STEPCam). STEPCam Phase I was implemented from 2018 to 2022 with USD $14.4 million grant financed by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). Phase II will be implemented over three years starting in 2024, with a total budget of USD $12.62 million through the GPE System Transformation Grant. With a total investment of USD $27.02 million, STEPCam is one of the largest teacher education programmes in Cambodia.

The event was presided over by H.E. Dr Hang Chuon Naron, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Youth and Sport, and Mr Sardar Umar Alam, UNESCO Representative to Cambodia, and attended by MoEYS senior officials, education officials at central and provincial levels, school directors, teacher educators, teacher mentors, teachers and trainers. Notably, educators supported under STEPCam Phase I were invited to share their experiences engaging in CPD, early grade learning teacher training and mentoring, highlighting the impact of STEPCam interventions on their teaching practices and professional careers.

During his opening remarks, H.E. Deputy Minister and Minister of Education Youth and Sport, Dr Hang Chuon Naron emphasised that teacher reform remains a key priority for Cambodia. "The teacher education reform and the implementation of teacher policy are amongst the top priorities of the education reform, as teachers are the backbone of our education system".

STEPCam Phase II has been developed to align with the long-term objectives and key policies of the MoEYS, particularly the forthcoming Education Sector Plan (ESP) 2024-2028 and the Teacher Policy Action Plan (TPAP) 2024-2028. Additionally, the programme contributes to the Pentagonal Strategy Phase 1 launched in 2023, which the first pentagon emphasises human resource development as the first and foremost strategic priority, recognising that the transformation of education and raising the quality of education start with teachers. The commitment to invest in education and teachers has been reaffirmed during the annual UN and Prime Minister dialogue in June, as Cambodia sets its sights on graduating from the Least Developed Countries (LDC) status by 2029.

Mr. Sardar Umar Alam, UNESCO Representative to Cambodia, highlighted, "UNESCO will continue to be a leading partner in supporting our common vision to improve teacher training and development, promote innovative teaching practices, support teacher professional development, advance classroom learning, drive digital transformation, and build an inclusive and equitable education system. Our goal is to ensure that every child has access to quality education and the opportunity to reach their full potential."

STEPCam has made remarkable strides during Phase I from 2018 to 2022. Particularly, STEPCam has established and implemented the first-ever national Continuous Professional Development (CPD) system for teachers and education staff, ready to provide over 130,000 teachers with opportunities for professional development including updating and upgrading their teaching practices in line with evolving needs and demand. STEPCam has also supported the single largest scale-up of the Early-Grade Learning teacher training and mentoring programme, training over 4,000 early-grade teachers in Khmer and nearly 3,000 in mathematics, benefiting more than 230,000 students. With STEPCam's support in education data management, over 130,000 education staff members' profiles were managed through the upgraded Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) and nearly 34,000 student data were captured in the Student Tracking System (STS) which has been developed and piloted to report on student attributes, attendance and for better monitoring of learning outcomes. Furthermore, 11 Provincial Teacher Training Centres (PTTCs) had infrastructure upgraded, including Wi-Fi systems, libraries, computers and science laboratories, to enhance the quality of teacher education to nurture the next generation of educators, benefiting nearly 1,300 primary school teachers and over 240 teacher educators annually.

The second phase of the programme continues to build on the achievements of Phase I, investing in the development of a high-quality, professional and competent teaching workforce. STEPCam aims to empower teachers with the skills and knowledge necessary to inspire and guide students, fostering a dynamic and engaging learning environment. By equipping educators with essential digital competencies and innovative teaching methods, the programme seeks to ensure that every child can thrive and develop the foundational skills needed to succeed in an ever-changing world. To achieve this, STEPCam Phase II comprises a coherent set of interventions across four mutually reinforcing components:

• Component 1: Teacher Education, supporting Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) to provide high-quality training for prospective new teachers through upgraded teacher education programmes as well as to become accredited CPD providers and institutional leaders in applied research.
• Component 2: Teacher Professional Development, expanding and strengthening the system of CPD to provide quality professional learning opportunities, enhance teaching practices matching teacher development needs, and support teachers' career growth.
• Component 3: Classroom Learning, training and mentoring teachers for effective, student-centred, play-based Early Grade Learning (EGL) so that teachers have the competencies and support needed to facilitate the development of strong foundational skills in their students.
• Component 4: Digital Transformation in Education, preparing teachers and teacher educators with the strategies and competencies needed in digital and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools to improve teaching and learning.

The quality of education is intrinsically linked to the training, professional development and competencies of teachers. The commitment to enhance the quality of teaching and learning is shared by the MoEYS and UNESCO to continue building a resilient and effective education system that supports teachers, empowers students, and fosters a brighter future for all.

For further information about STEPCam, please contact:

H.E. Dr. Lim Sothea, Director General of Policy and Planning, MoEYS, Tel: 012 535 617, Email: [email protected]
Sopha Ang, STEPCam Project Officer, UNESCO Phnom Penh Office, Tel: 012 982 117, Email: [email protected]

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