Mr Sambo is one of many teachers across rural Cambodia that continues to face challenges in access to resources and training, compared to his urban counterparts. These include not only a lack of internet connectivity and infrastructure, but limited opportunities to build teacher skills and capacity.

How do their classrooms participate in the digital world, when connectivity is patchy and often doesn’t stretch beyond urban hubs? As rural teachers, how do they gain access to resources and training, so that they can not only develop their own skills, but help make learning more interactive, inclusive and engaging for their students?

Plus Education’s partnership with the Cambodian Ministry of Education has helped further access to English language and digital skills to those in rural classrooms, without the need for an internet connection. Whilst also giving rural teachers like Mr. Sambo the opportunity to bolster their skills and teaching practices, enriching their classroom learning environments.

Teachers frequently report the excitement of their students when it’s time for English lessons to begin for the day. Under their guidance, students have ample time to engage in the program in a group learning environment, where they are also learning important basic digital skills, such as the ability to effectively navigate a graphical interface.

When Mr Sambo’s class first commenced the Plus English program, he saw a marked improvement in his students’ engagement levels and English language competency over a short period of time. “Within two months I noticed improvement in the students’ listening, reading, speaking and writing,” he said. “They also paid more attention.”