Takhmao Special Education High School is the Kingdom’s sole state educational institution for children with autism and intellectual disabilities. It was established in February 2021 as one of six special education high schools, under the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport’s National Institute for Special Education. The remaining five special education schools cater to students who are deaf or blind. “Despite providing special education to approximately 200 children with autism and intellectual disabilities, the Takhmao school falls significantly short in meeting demand. It is estimated that around 20,000 Cambodian children have some form of autism,” said Chan Sarin, principal of…
Author: Raksmey Hong
In a bid to promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, the NGO Empowering Youth in Cambodia (EYC) recently organised a workshop for children and young people to highlight its importance and benefits. EYC programme manager Nov Synoeun said these subjects serve as a foundational knowledge base for embracing coding, robotics, computer technology, and artificial intelligence (AI). The NGO – established in 2006 and currently provides non-formal education to over 700 underprivileged children – invited lecturers of data science, coding educators, international volunteer students and representatives of the US embassy in Phnom Penh who support its projects to share…
Huon Sok Raingsey of Hun Sen Borey 100 Khnong High School won a gold medal at the Thailand International Mathematical Olympiad Award (TIMO) for scoring among the highest of 4,000 students from 19 countries. A total of 30 Mathematics tests were held in three exam centres in Thailand on April 2. Thirteen Cambodian students from grades 3 to 12 took the exams. Twelfth-grader Raingsey said he had taken the exam in person, while many other students took it online. “Originally, I did not hope for very much because the candidates from other countries were outstanding students and there were far…
The Thrive conference, hosted by the Cambodia Coaching Institute in collaboration with Omohub Arts and Mental Health, will take place on April 8 at the Factory Phnom Penh, located on National Road 2 in Meanchey district. The event aims to explore the significant role of mental health in Cambodia’s socio-economic development and inspire excitement, engagement, and action around this topic. “The conference is held to promote mental wellbeing as a whole,” said Chea Sovannady, support co-ordinator of the conference. “This year’s topic ‘Courage to Dream’ aims to get people to envision what the future of Cambodia could be like with…
Abundant in the lakes, rivers and streams surrounding Phnom Penh, water hyacinths are easily collected, and often used for compost or even to weave into hammocks. A group of three third-year architecture students from Paragon University have discovered a modern, sustainable construction material that can replace floor or ceiling tiles or imported plaster decorative panels, and they all stem from the humble water hyacinth. “They can also be decorated with various colour patterns,” explained Chhay Kimsenh, who along with two fellow students, formed AquaBuild, a startup company that was formed to enter Impact Hub Phnom Penh’s Build4People Sustainable Building Incubator…
Malaysia-born Michelle Yeoh became the first person of south-east Asian descent to win a best actress Oscar for her part in the surreal action comedy Everything Everywhere All at Once. Yeoh stunned audiences, but few people are aware of the Cambodian connection that played a part in her win. The spectacular martial arts skills she displayed in the film were here own, but behind the scenes was a Khmer choreographer, who helped her perfect every move. Dy Sao, a Cambodian-American who was born in Battambang in 1979 – during the final stages of the Cambodian Civil War – was the…
At first glance, the trailer to new horror sensation The Ritual: Black Nun looks like a western-produced feature film. As the story reveals itself to the viewers, it becomes clearer that this is a Khmer film, with a strong Cambodian identity and close links to the Kingdom’s unique culture and identity. “I believe this film has the potential to revolutionise the way audiences see Cambodian cinema, and will lead to increased support for the home-grown industry. Across eight painstaking months of production, we paid close attention and made sure every detail was as close to perfection as we could get…
The Perfect Motion, or Tep Hatta in Khmer, was premiered in the presence of His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni on March 26. Held at Chaktomuk Conference Hall, the screening also served to officially open the 12th Cambodia International Film Festival (CIFF). The Perfect Motion, an 86-minute documentary, follows two intertwined storylines: the creation of a show called Metamorphosis by the late Princess Norodom Buppha Devi (her very last production) and the history of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia, which dates back to 1906. “The CIFF was officially launched with a screening of The Perfect Motion, directed by Xavier de Lauzanne,”…
A new “Khmer Digital Literacy” programme will be introduced to improve and enhance digital skills for around 5,000 Cambodian educators and students in its first phase. The programme is sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport along with NGO Kampuchea Action to Promote Education (KAPE) and Meta, the parent company of Facebook. They plan to launch the programme at six new generation schools (NGS), after which 12 master trainers from those schools will be recruited to continue to train others in the Khmer Digital Literacy programme. “I am looking forward to seeing the results of the Khmer Digital…
The 6th Buddhist Literary Awards are returning for 2023. The theme for this year’s short story and poetry contest is “Greed Brings Doom”. Candidates are invited to submit their compositions between now and April 30, according to a notice from the Buddhist Institute of Cambodia, which is overseen by the Ministry of Cults and Religion. “This competition will promote Buddhism, the official religion of the Kingdom. This year’s theme is particularly pertinent to Buddhist doctrine. The contest also contributes to improving reading and composition skills, and provides a venue for testing the ability of beginning or novice authors,” said Sar…