CLIP3 quarterly report: January to March 2025

Project Overview

Cambodia is still in the process of rebuilding its education system, which failed during the civil war of the 1970s. In the field of early childhood education, the country faces the following challenges;

1. Lack of teaching resources in Khmer to use in classrooms.
2. Teachers lack the computer skills to create resources.
3. Teachers lack experience in some teaching techniques to perform efficient online research.
4. Available Khmer resources can be expensive, and schools, especially in rural areas, cannot afford to purchase them.
5. Many of the available teaching materials may not align with the curriculum.
6. Schools have very small or no budget for preschool teachers.

These issues occurring in the early childhood education stage, which is the foundation for a child's development, will affect the child's future growth process. Teachers are faced with these issues on a daily basis and wonder how to deal with them.

This project covers five regions in Pursat Province, located in the northwestern part of Cambodia. We at Rermork for Children (R4C) (in conjunction with TukTuk Charity), with 26 classes of 15 schools as partner schools, are working with provincial and district education department staff, preschool teachers, and members of the Rotary Club of Pursat (RCP) to empower teachers and parents, and increase educational opportunities for disadvantaged communities in early childhood education. The following activities will be undertaken over a two-year period to achieve the goal.

CLIP Project Goals

Empower teachers and parents, and increase educational opportunities for disadvantaged communities in early childhood education.

Five steps to achieve the goal

1. Create teaching resources (storybooks, songs, activity games, board games, worksheets, etc.) in Khmer language, using local Cambodian artists, and aligning the government curriculum and Cambodian culture include options that require no printing or materials to remove economic boundaries. And distribute them to the target education offices and teachers.
2. Enhance the “Rermork Digital Library”, a free educational material website for preschools developed by R4C (TukTuk Charity), to make it easier to use and to enrich its contents.
3. Train teachers in seven workshops, not only on how to use the resources but also how to create their own resources. Laptops are supplied, and computer skills training will be conducted by the RCP.
4. Make a platform for sharing teaching materials by uploading resources created by the teachers themselves on the "Rermork Digital Library", so that teachers nationwide can access these materials.
5. Engage education bureau staff from the targeted provinces and districts to disseminate materials to schools beyond the project scope, as well as encourage educators to share materials with parents of the children, we aim to increase access to educational materials for a wider audience beyond the project's reach.

Through this project, we aim to ultimately have the targeted educators give back what they have learned to their respective communities, becoming leaders in further enhancing early childhood education nationwide. However, it is crucial not to forget that the primary beneficiaries of this project are the children. We hope that through the lessons of the educators who have undergone the project activities, children will find school an engaging place, leading to increased attendance and nurturing them into future leaders who actively engage in all endeavors.

About Project

The name of the project

Cambodia Literacy Integrative Project (CLIP)

• January - December 2021: CLIP1
• January 2022 - December 2023: CLIP2
• December 2023 - December 2025: CLIP3

Project implementing organization

Rermork For Children (R4C) (in conjunction with TukTuk Charity), Rotary Club of Pursat (RCP) (managed and funded by Rotary Club of Calgary Downtown)

Target areas

Pursat Province, Cambodia (Pursat City, Kandieng District, Bakan District, Krakor District, and Kravanh District)

Participants

Total 67 members

• Provincial and district education officials: 6 officers
• Provincial Office of Education (POE): 5 officers
  • Director
  • Department of Early Childhood Education
  • Department of Primary Education
  • Department of Education Audit
  • Department of Plan
• District Office of Education (DOE): 15 officers
  • Three people from the five target regions participated; the director of the DOE, the school education division staff, and the early childhood education division staff
• Principals: 15 teachers
• Preschool teachers: 26 teachers

Target Schools

There are a total of 26 classes in 15 schools (26 teachers, 1,007 students)

*In February, one of the target teachers was transferred to a non-target preschool. Since the substitute teacher will be the target teacher from the next term, the project will continue with 26 target teachers and 26 target classes.

*There are three types of preschools in Cambodia: independent preschools, preschool classes attached to primary schools, and community schools overseen by the Ministry of Education but operated by the local community.

The CLIP3 covers a total of 15 schools: 7 independent preschools, 6 preschool classes, and 2 community schools.

Project Implementation

Main activities

The 5th workshop

The second-year project workshop began with a session on creating worksheets using computers. Teachers who had learned the basics of computer operation in the first year applied those skills to start creating worksheets this year. In this workshop, we introduced two types of worksheets: a coloring worksheet using Khmer consonants with WordArt, and a connect-the-dots worksheet using images from the Rermork Digital Library. For teachers already familiar with using computers, the coloring worksheet was relatively easy to create. On the other hand, the connect-the-dots worksheet involved more steps and was perceived as more difficult by many. Nevertheless, all the teachers were able to complete both types of worksheets within the allotted time. In the remaining two workshops, we will continue introducing new types of worksheets. Since we’ve also received requests from the teachers, we aim to incorporate their feedback to design the program as closely as possible to their needs.

As for the teaching materials introduction, we presented the picture book "Which Sport Is It?" along with its accompanying teaching aids. The teachers also shared creative ideas for crafting activities. Many of the supplemental materials for "Which Sport Is It?" involve crafting tools used in games, and we had the teachers create as many as possible. The crafting segment is always popular, but this time, the teachers made more items than usual, and since they could be used in actual games, the groups who completed them enjoyed using them immediately. Additionally, we introduced three songs outside of the regular resource package. These songs included fingerplays that help calm children before class starts, and action songs that help teach body parts and movement-related vocabulary through full-body movement. The teachers enjoyed all the songs like children themselves and expressed a strong desire to incorporate them into their lessons.

This time, as a new initiative, two JICA volunteers active in Cambodian preschools also participated and shared their teaching experiences in Japan and activity ideas currently implemented in Cambodian classrooms. This program was one of the most well-received, alongside the computer workshop. The target teachers learned various techniques in Khmer from experienced volunteers, including how to read storybooks, do fingerplays, dance, and eurhythmics, which provided a lot of fresh learning.

In particular, regarding storybook reading, unlike last year when we introduced the use of Kamishibai with a focus on "performance," this year we focused on methods that "draw in" the listener (children) into the story. Teachers were used to "reading for learning," which involves asking questions during the reading and reviewing the story at the end. However, this new approach of "reading for enjoyment" was refreshing for them. Since some teachers still seemed unsure after just one session, we hope to deepen their understanding and skills through practical sessions in the remaining two workshops.

At the end of the workshop, we received immediate feedback from many participants, such as “I want the video of the songs they introduced!” and “It was really fun!” It seems the time spent was valuable not only for the teachers but also for officials from the provincial and district education departments. The songs introduced were recorded and made available with Khmer subtitles. Moving forward, we plan to continue collaborating with JICA volunteers to share ideas about teaching materials and child development in future workshops.

The 5th follow-up visit

As part of the project, we follow up with visits to the target schools after each workshop to review the workshop content. During this follow-up visit, we asked additional questions to the pre-visit survey and observed the classes.

First, in the pre-visit survey, we asked the teachers about their situation one to two weeks after the second workshop. We inquired about their use of computers, their utilization of the "Rermork Digital Library," and their use of R4C materials in their lessons. Please see here for detailed survey results.

Regarding computer use, nearly 70% of the teachers reported using a computer 4 to 6 times a week. Among them, approximately 30% used Microsoft Office Word to create lesson plans, teaching materials, and administrative documents, making it the most commonly used application. While some teachers expressed a desire to “learn different ways of creating worksheets” through the workshop’s worksheet creation session, others—especially those less familiar with computers—found the operations more complex than last year’s computer course, and some even said, “This is too hard,” or “I can’t do it.” For these teachers, we revisited the worksheet creation steps one-on-one during school visits, but we recognize the need for continued and consistent follow-up. In the next sessions, where more advanced worksheet creation techniques will be introduced, we plan to review how we organize the workshops, including groupings and the overall approach.

Regarding the free teaching materials website “Rermork Digital Library,” the most common response was that it was used 4 to 6 times a week on both computers and smartphones. The most viewed materials were songs, the most accessed learning area was society, and the most downloaded materials were worksheets. However, some users noted that “materials are hard to search for,” indicating the need to improve the keyword search functionality. It also became clear that we should promote better awareness of the website’s usage guide videos.

As for the usage of TukTuk teaching materials across the five learning areas, storybooks, songs, and worksheets were the most frequently used. This is likely because they are easy to understand how to use and simple to prepare. On the other hand, activity games, board games, and crafts were used less often. Reasons cited included: “the rules are hard to understand,” “it’s difficult to prepare materials for the whole class,” and “it’s hard to supervise all children during the activity.” If teachers can learn how to adjust the games and materials to fit their classroom settings or gain tips on managing large groups of children, it may help them feel more confident using these materials and increase hands-on experiences for the children. In future workshops, we hope to introduce teaching materials in conjunction with class management strategies tailored to real classroom situations.

This round of school visits was the first since the new school year began in November, and we noticed that many target classrooms had improved their learning environments since the last visit. Some teachers had even used the crafts introduced or displayed during the workshop to decorate their classrooms. During the technical meeting held shortly after the workshop, some teachers shared the craft activities with others. We also heard that teachers outside the target schools saw our classroom decorative teaching tools, wanted to use them in their classrooms, downloaded the data, and printed them for use.

Moreover, a teacher attempted “storytelling that draws in children” in her classrooms. At first, she was skeptical, wondering, “Can I really keep the children’s interest without asking questions in the middle of the story?” However, after trying it, they found that many children listened attentively to the end, and the teacher said, “I’d like to continue using this approach more.” The fact that teachers are immediately putting workshop ideas into practice or sharing them with others provides us with valuable, direct feedback from the field and helps guide the development of better teaching materials and workshop planning.

Resource Package Creation Status

CLIP3 includes the creation of four new original storybooks and their "Resource Packages*". Currently, we are in the process of creating the 11th book, which is expected to be completed in the first half of the next term.

*Resource Package… A package of teaching materials that includes songs, activity games, board games, and worksheets related to the content of the picture book.

Achievement in Social Media Service and “Rermork Digital Library”

We run three open social media (Facebook, Telegram and YouTube) to share teaching resources for preschool teachers and parents.

R4C Facebook

We are sharing updates on R4C's materials and activities three times a week. Visitors can download materials from here or browse the "Rermork Digital Library." Not only educators but also parents can access it.

The most shared item this term was the worksheet "ល្បែងបរិមាណនិងចំនួន (Find Trace Count Numbers)" (299 shares, reaching 12,337 people*). We also gained 700 new followers in three months, the most compared to last year.

*Reach… The number of people who saw any content from the Page or about our Page, including posts, stories, ads, social information from people who interact with our Page and more. Reach is different from impressions, which may include multiple views of the posts by the same people. This metric is estimated.

Public Facebook Group for Preschool Teachers

This is a Facebook group for educators. It serves as a platform where not only posts from R4C are shared, but also where teachers themselves can disseminate teaching material ideas and educational information.

The most shared post this season was ប្រាជ្ញាទីណ (Clever Tino) created by another organization (34 shares, reaching 1,808 people).

Telegram Channel

Similar to the Facebook page, we post R4C teaching materials and early childhood education information almost every day. Followers can download materials from here or browse the "Rermork Digital Library." Channel participants are not limited to teachers; parents can also join.

The most viewed post this season was the worksheets of ‘Be Careful, Be Safe’ with 2,119 views.

YouTube

We are posting video teaching materials created by R4C. Many of them include animations, song videos, and instructional videos on activity games, worksheets, and crafts.

The most viewed video in every month was a song video titled "បទចម្រៀៀង ពេលសប្បាយ (If You Are Happy And You Know It Song)" with 42,025 views in these three months.

Rermork Digital Library

This is a free educational resource site for early childhood education launched in August 2022 by R4C. All materials can be downloaded free of charge without copyright restrictions. Teachers' own materials are also uploaded to this platform, aimed at empowering Cambodian early childhood education by Cambodian teachers themselves.

The top three most viewed materials this term were worksheets, classroom decorative teaching tools, and storybooks. Additionally, the most downloaded material was "ព្យញ្ជនៈកាត ៣៣តួ (Khmer Consonant Cards)" (140 downloads).

Measuring Success

Next Schedule (April - June 2025)

• Publish the 12th storybook and the resource package
• Create the 13th storybook and the resource package
• The 6th workshop (May)
• The 6th follow-up visits (June)