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How Cambodia’s Students Are Thriving Through Digital Literacy

Cambodia
Initial vocational education and training
10.07.2025
In early 2024, Cambodia introduced a transformative project aimed at equipping youth with essential digital skills – The Digital Literacy Initiative (DLI), funded by the Dariu Foundation (TDF) and implemented by Swisscontact. The DLI project focuses on integrating digital literacy into the learning curricula of high school and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students. The project seeks to bridge the digital divides, ensuring that students are prepared for the demands of the modern, technology-driven world.

Before the DLI, many Cambodian students—especially those in rural areas—had limited exposure to digital education. Educational institutions struggled with outdated infrastructure, a lack of trained ICT teachers, and minimal exposure to modern technological information.  This created a critical gap in student readiness for the digital economy. The DLI program addresses this by embedding coding and digital literacy into mainstream curricula in four high schools and four TVET institutes across Battambang and Siem Reap provinces.

Building Digital Foundations

The DLI has already reached over 2,291 students, introducing them to fundamental digital concepts, including coding, algorithmic thinking, and hardware-software interaction.  Grade 9-11 students in the target high schools now have coding classes embedded in their weekly schedules. TVET institutes have integrated coding into majors such as ICT, Electronics, and Civil Engineering. Students now learn to create animated projects, interactive games, and smart home prototypes using tools like Scratch and Micro: bit.

One standout aspect of the program is its project-based learning approach. For instance, students worked in teams to build creative digital solutions—from automatic lighting systems to interactive quizzes—demonstrating an ability to apply coding to real-life challenges.

Stories shared by students reflect a growing excitement for technology-based learning, with students more engaged and confident in their digital abilities.

"When I first started studying this coding program, I began to understand how the coding system works. It has helped me develop my problem-solving skills, boost my creativity, and create new things. For me, learning to code has been an exciting new experience. It’s fascinating to see how the system runs and how it works."
Meng Soklong, a student in grade 11 of Net Yang High School, Battambang province.  
"We learned how to use Scratch to animate characters, create games, and build educational content. It was not just fun but also showed me how technology can be used to teach others."
shared a female student from the Civil Engineering department.

This kind of hands-on learning has helped students build self-confidence, problem-solving abilities, and collaboration skills—important traits for the modern workforce.

Program Impact and Sustainability

The DLI-supported students are now more digitally literate and motivated, while teachers are integrating new tools into their pedagogy. The four target high schools (Net Yang, Preah Monivong, Angkor and Samdech Auv) and four TVET institutes (Regional Polytechnic Institute Techo Sen Battambang, Battambang Institute of Technology, Regional Polytechnic Institute Techo Sen Siem Reap, and National Polytechnic Institute of Angkor)  in the Battambang and Siem Reap provinces are demonstrating positive outcomes as they integrate digital literacy into their learning curriculum as a formal and extra one[1].

Through continuous teacher training and on-site mentorship, the initiative is building institutional capacity to sustain digital literacy education in the long term.
 

[1] Coding Class as formal curriculum requires all students in the selected class to attend. The Coding subject was included in the Weekly Study Schedule. Whereas Coding Class as extra curriculum means attending the class is voluntarily.

Opportunities for improvement identified

Despite the progress, opportunities for improvement have also been identified. Public schools often have only two or three ICT teachers for more than 3,000 students. The number of laptops provided through DLI support, while helpful, is still insufficient for full student participation. However, the program’s phased implementation, strong school leadership commitment, and ongoing technical assistance have mitigated some of these limitations.

Looking Ahead: A Future Powered by Digital Skills

With student creativity flourishing and teachers embracing new methods, DLI is paving the way for a digitally literate generation ready to thrive in the 21st century. Future phases aim to scale the model to more schools and deepen the learning through Tech Clubs. The students’ voices—expressing surprise, pride, and inspiration—show that DLI is not just teaching to code, but influencing their futures.

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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