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Code Club Showcase & Coding Challenge Day: Unveiling the Potential and Building the Foundation for Digital Literacy Education for Cambodian Youth

Cambodia
Initial vocational education and training
04.12.2025
More than 150 students and teachers gathered at the National Technical Training Institute (NTTI) to showcase their creativity and coding skills at the “Code Club Showcase & Coding Challenge Day”, highlighting the growing impact of digital education in Cambodia.

The event was organised by the Digital Literacy Initiative (DLI) project, funded by The Dariu Foundation and implemented by Swisscontact, in collaboration with technical partner Tech for Kids Academy. The showcase was presided over by His Excellency Dr Hing Sideth, Royal Government Delegate in Charge of the General Directorate of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (DGTVET), along with representatives from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.

The event reflected the impact of the two-year DLI project (2024–2025). Over this period, the initiative provided coding education to more than 4,000 students and established eight Code Clubs in targeted schools and TVET institutes in Siem Reap and Battambang. These opportunities have enabled students to progress from being technology users to becoming active creators.

Voices from the leaders:

"The digital literacy pathway starts with coding as a foundation and evolves into project-based learning through Code Clubs. Today is a milestone - our first annual competition - a day for students and teachers to celebrate achievements, showcase talent, and embrace this experience."
Erica Wu, DLI Project Manager 
"We aim to support the Royal Cambodian Government in preparing young people for an unfolding future by equipping them with coding and AI skills - building a foundation for innovation and adaptability."
Daniel Keller, Chief Operating Officer of The Dariu Foundation
"This platform not only highlights the technical talents of students but also reflects the strong and cohesive collaboration between the Royal Government of Cambodia, development partners, and the private sector. In addition, the Digital Literacy Initiative (DLI) has played a significant role in transforming the potential of Cambodian youth into strong human capital and active contributors to society."
H.E. Dr. Hing Sideth, Delegate of the Royal Government in Charge as Director General of DGTVET

Three Key Aspects of the Event

To showcase the full potential of students, the event focused on three core activities:

  • Micro:bit Project Showcase: Out of hundreds of projects, 15 outstanding ones were selected. Students demonstrated how to use the Micro:bit and AI to create smart devices that address agricultural, environmental, and livelihood challenges.
  • Code Debugging Challenge: An individual competition requiring candidates to apply logical thinking to identify and fix code errors in Scratch.
  • Micro:bit Wheel Robot Maze Challenge: A team competition where students coded robots to navigate a maze with precision and teamwork.

Champions of the competition

After evaluating creativity, innovation, and technical skills, the judges announced the following winners:

Outstanding Project Awards

  • Grand Champion: “Smart House”, Net Yang High School
  • Innovation Impact: “Smart Wheelchair”, Preah Monivong High School
  • Technical Excellence: “Smart Green House”, Regional Polytechnic Institute Techo Sen, Battambang
  • Outstanding Presentation: “Tech for the Better”, Regional Polytechnic Institute Techo Sen, Siem Reap

Robot Champion

  • 1st Place: National Polytechnic Institute of Angkor (NPIA)
  • 2nd Place: Battambang Institute of Technology (BIT)
  • 3rd Place: Techo Sen Regional Polytechnic Institute, Siem Reap (RPITS-SR)

Rising Coder

  • TVET Category: 1st Place: Sovann Monineath | 2nd Place: Ki David | 3rd Place: Lim Rithysith
  • General High School Category: 1st Place: Niem Chanpanha | 2nd Place: Keo Samnang | 3rd Place: Thol Sovanna

The celebration marks an important step toward a brighter digital future for Cambodia. The DLI project, together with all partners, reaffirms its strong commitment to continuing to build the foundation of digital education in Cambodia. We believe that equipping young people with technological knowledge and soft skills is an indispensable investment, ensuring that they will become the driving force that leads Cambodia towards prosperity in the digital economy.

The Digital Literacy Initiative (DLI) is a two-year project (2024-2025) funded by The Dariu Foundation and implemented by Swisscontact in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training, with Tech for Kids Academy as the technical partner. The overall goal of the Programme is to qualify youth for inclusion in the digital economy by enabling access to digital literacy education and closing the digital gap.

2024 - 2025
Cambodia
Initial vocational education and training
Digital Literacy Initiative Cambodia
The overall goal of the Programme is to qualify youth for inclusion in the digital economy, by enabling the access to digital literacy education and closing the digital gap.  Through coding, the students learn to think critically and to solve problems when something does not work. Through developing applications to address practical problems in society, they gain leadership, communication, and project management skills. These competencies are important for future higher education and professional activities.
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