The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) held a virtual ceremony this afternoon (29 December) for the official launch of a World Bank project that aims to build the capacity of higher education teachers in Cambodia.

During the ceremony, Professor Stephen Cheung Yan-leung, President of EdUHK, and Dr Chet Chealy, Rector of the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP), signed a partnership agreement, which marked the beginning of the official collaboration between EdUHK and five leading Cambodian universities in the next three years.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Dr No Fata, Education Specialist of World Bank, Cambodia; Mr Yuok Ngoy, Secretary of State Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport in Cambodia; Mr Mak Ngoy, Director General of Higher Education; and representatives of EdUHK and the five partner universities: (in alphabetical order) the Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC), the National University of Battambang (NUBB), the Royal University of Agriculture (RUA), the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) and Svay Rieng University (SRU).

Under the partnership agreement, EdUHK and RUPP will co-establish the Centre of Excellence in Higher Education Teaching and Learning and Innovation to enhance the inclusiveness and quality of teaching and learning of Cambodian universities. EdUHK will share its experience and expertise with its peers in Cambodia, which include the design and development of curricula, assessment and pedagogy, and the use of digital technologies to enhance the quality of teaching and learning. EdUHK will co-develop with the RUPP a Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education for Cambodian higher education teachers to monitor and manage their own professional learning, and build their capacity for quality teaching and learning. 

EdUHK will also engage teachers from the five Cambodian universities in a Doctor of Education (EdD) programme. With a wide range of courses, the EdD programme at EdUHK aims to enhance their capacity for quality research, teaching and learning. The graduates of this programme will serve as key personnel to sustain the Centre of Excellence and contribute to the quality enhancement of higher education teaching and learning in Cambodia.

EdUHK President Professor Cheung expressed his gratitude to the World Bank and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport in Cambodia for their staunch support and making the collaboration happen. “We are most pleased to be able to play a part in the educational transformation of our neighbours in the Southeast Asia region, which further strengthens our role in creating an impact on the education landscape in Hong Kong and beyond.”

Dr Chet Chealy, Rector at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, said, “This collaboration with EdUHK marks the quest for international quality for higher education in Cambodia and an attempt to internationalise Cambodian higher education. The Center will be facilitated by the Faculty of Education working closely with EdUHK.”

Mr Yuok Ngoy, Secretary of State Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport in Cambodia said, “I trust that RUPP, ITC, NUBB, RUA, and SRU will assign their best teams of education experts and practitioners to engage in the project and actively share and learn from the experts from EdUHK to improve the current practices to higher standards. I also trust that EdUHK and their assigned experts will do their best to gain insights into Cambodian existing practices before upgrading them to higher standards so that the ultimate outcomes of this project are long lasting and sustainable.”

Professor Tsui Kwok-tung, Acting Dean of Faculty of Education and Human Development at EdUHK, said he expected the collaboration to build the capacity of Cambodian university teachers to support and enhance inclusive and quality higher education. He believed that the collaboration would promote staff and student exchanges between EdUHK, RUPP and other Cambodian partner universities.