Smart Axiata’s 1 Million USD COVID-19 Relief Fund helps MoEYS build resilience amid the pandemic

Smart Axiata’s 1 Million USD COVID-19 Relief Fund helps MoEYS build resilience amid the pandemic

Under the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was announced in December that high school students did not need to sit for the Grade 12 National Examinations and were given an automatic pass. Prior to the announcement, impressive efforts by various organizations were already underway, including the joint collaboration between Open Institute and Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport to equip senior high school students with the knowledge and skills needed for them to embark on their higher education studies.

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport and the Open Institute, an NGO which supports the development and expansion of access to education in Cambodia through the application of information communication technology, worked together to launch the 1000 Grade 12 Video Collection to digitize lessons and educational materials for senior high school students with assistance from Smart Axiata, the leading telecommunication service provider in the country.

“Grade 12 is the key course because it is the preparation for university’s entrance exam,” said Javier Solá, Director of Open Institute. “It is crucial for the whole education system to move, and students also need to qualify themselves to enter the university or the labour market.”

With funding from Smart’s 1 Million USD COVID-19 Relief Fund, Open Institute and Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport produced 1,000 videos with each one featuring a teacher teaching a class which covers the entire curriculum of Grade 12. With participation from some of the country’s best teachers, they have been broadcasted since mid-January, which marks the beginning of the new academic year, on the ministry’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.

According to Sok Tha, Head of Department of Information Technology at MOEYS, the videos will benefit around 75 percent of all Grade 12 students in Cambodia. Two fully equipped studio were also built for MoEYS to continue digitizing more content.

“Smart has been doing the correct thing by promoting education amid COVID-19, and we hope they will continue doing it,” Javier added.

“And the videos are not only for the pandemic. Having these videos now, the ministry has become much more resilient and much more prepared for another possible situation and promoting digital learning in the future.”

This is not the first time that Smart has stepped in to promote education, which actually is the cornerstone of the company’s CSR agenda. The company is

highly committed to advancing Cambodia through educational programs such as SmartEdu Scholarship, which is currently providing 67 students access to undergraduate studies and exposure to digital leadership which it considers as important skills that will bring alive the Royal Government’s digital economy agenda.

“While the COVID-19 pandemic is a massive challenge in impeding students’ learning, it was impressive to see the rate at which the Open Institute and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport responded in order to ensure 12th graders can continue to learn and practice the necessary skills,” said Thomas Hundt, Chief Executive Officer of Smart Axiata.

“This digital video library, a cumulation of meticulous planning, exceptional talent and critical curriculum, will go on to serve a crucial role for all future Grade 12 National Examinations and help MoEYS become more resilient in coping with such a pandemic,” he added. Khmer Times