Cambodia’s Digital Literacy & Internet Safety Pilot Program Concludes

Cambodia’s Digital Literacy & Internet Safety Pilot Program Concludes

Smart Axiata yesterday announced the winners of its online video competition during the closing ceremony of the company’s Digital Literacy and Internet Safety Pilot Program, which held a workshop in November in Phnom Penh and the provinces of Kampong Cham and Kampong Chhnang.

The ceremony was presided over by Tram Iv Tek, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications and Hang Chuon Naron, Minister of Education, Youth, and Sport.

Students and teachers from three schools in each province and the capital were nominated by the Ministry of Education to participate in the workshops, which was led by alumnus and scholars from the SmartEdu Program, which utilized content by Google and GSMA’s Mobile Internet Skills Training Toolkit.

During a one-day session, participants learned about surfing the internet, mobile internet, strengthening passwords, online fraud, and digital citizenship responsibility.

Students during the workshop learned how to produce engaging videos on mobile internet safety. Eleven videos were shortlisted and shared on the Smart for Cambodia Facebook page last week. The public then voted for their favorite video.

The winners were Techo Hun Sen Beok Kok High School with Don’t Believe, Setting Complicated Passwords and Bunrany Hun Sen Rolear B’ier High School with My Mother Got Cheated with USD 10,000 offer.

The schools won $1,000 each and $3,750 worth of educational materials for having submitted the most videos.

“I really enjoyed participating in the program. It was fun learning about these new topics and learning to produce videos with my classmates. I hope to be able to share this new knowledge with my friends and family in my community,” Heng Sophearom, a student from Bunrany Hun Sen Rolear B’ier High School, said.

“While equipping students with digital literacy skills greatly benefit young Cambodians, digital citizenship concepts teach them how to stay safe online. I am delighted that the Education Ministry and the organising team chose our school for this pilot. I look forward to furthering participants coming in the next phase of the program,” Koeun Koeurn, a student from Techo Hun Sen Beok Kok High School, said.

Since the launch in Nov 2019, the pilot program has educated 1,500 Grade 10 and 11 students as well as teachers through the workshops in Phnom Penh, Kampong Cham, and Kampong Chhnang.

Its online campaign garnered a total of 193,300 views. This initiative was primarily funded by Smart’s contribution to the Royal Government’s Capacity Building and R&D Fund, which aims at promoting internet safety awareness and mobile internet literacy among young Cambodians.

“At Smart, we believe that online safety and responsible digital citizenship are crucial components when promoting mobile adoption in Cambodia. Together with the Education Ministry, MPTC and various partners, we envision building on this pilot to create a more positive impact in the communities that we operate in through improved content and online platforms in the future. I hope that all those who attended the pilot will be our ambassadors to help promote these important concepts among their peers as we look forward to a more digitally-aware society,” Feiruz Ikhwan, the chief financial officer of Smart Axiata, said during the closing ceremony.