Background
The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) is delivering a nationwide teacher development program through the Secondary Education for Human Capital (SE4HC) project, which is funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and implemented with technical partners. The program is organized as a continuous professional development (CPD) pathway intended to strengthen practical, project-based instruction in STEM subjects at secondary schools.
SE4HC funds a STEM CPD that targets approximately 3,000 secondary school science and mathematics teachers drawn from 259 designated target schools nationwide. The CPD curriculum comprises three core modules: project-based teaching and learning methods, STEM project implementation, and project assessment.
Key Developments
In 2026 the CPD is scheduled as three cohorts covering 260 teachers in total: cohort 1 trained 100 teachers (50 female) from 28 September to 3 October; cohort 2 will train 100 teachers (50 female) from 19–24 October; and cohort 3 will train 60 teachers (30 female) from 2–7 November. Training sessions are delivered by the Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC) and the National Institute of Education (NIE).
Participating teachers conduct hands-on classroom projects such as chemistry-of-water experiments, soap production, water filtration, and basic electricity exercises. Training activities take place at ITC and NIE facilities, followed by technical team follow-up and school-level support to guide classroom implementation.
Institutional Role
ITC and NIE serve as the primary training providers for the CPD, while the Cambodian Science and Technology Center (CSTC) is designated to support practical STEM teaching as a demonstration and learning site. MoEYS oversees program coordination, selection of the 259 target schools, and the conditions for awarding CPD completion certificates.
Certificates will be issued only to teachers who demonstrate concrete implementation of project-based learning activities at their own schools, and a technical team from MoEYS will provide ongoing guidance during the school implementation phase.
Operational Implications for Schools
The SE4HC package includes an Applied STEM and Innovative Learning Fund that allocates US$10,000 per target school for 259 schools across the 2026–2029 academic period. Additional program components include undergraduate scholarships for 252 core science and mathematics teachers who complete the CPD, an expansion of the School-Level STEM Framework to 150 additional high schools, a digital-skills CPD for 1,000 teachers, and an English CPD for 638 teachers.
These resources and training modules are intended to support practical, school-level adoption of project-based STEM instruction and to build a pipeline of trained teachers eligible for further scholarship and professional pathways.
Source
Announcement posted by Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) on 2 October 2026: MoEYS Facebook post.
