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Good practice Imported

Cambodia's Research Center on AI in Education — Turning a National AI-Readiness Assessment into Teacher Policy

Cambodia · Phnom Penh · See the Cambodia profile · See the Phnom Penh profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 59% 47/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

UNESCO and Cambodia's education ministry used a July 2025 AI-ethics readiness assessment to launch a national AI-in-education research centre and teacher-competency framework under the $27m GPE-funded STEPCam programme, after finding only 22% of schools had working computers.

Cambodia's Research Center on AI in Education — Turning a National AI-Readiness Assessment into Teacher Policy

Details

Maturity
Pilot
Promoter
UNESCO / Cambodia Academy of Digital Technology (CADT) / Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport
Period
RAM completed July 2025; RAIE and national conference launched 24 November 2025; teacher competency framework in development under STEPCam
Keywords
AI ethics, teacher competency framework, education policy, digital infrastructure

Context

Cambodia completed an AI Ethics Readiness Assessment (RAM) in July 2025 with UNESCO's support, applying UNESCO's 2021 Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. The RAM found significant infrastructure and workforce gaps: only 22% of schools reported functional computers, national internet access averaged 55.6%, and roughly 80% of teachers held qualifications below bachelor's degree level, in a country where Khmer is underrepresented in AI training data.

Objectives

Translate the RAM's ethics and readiness findings into a national AI strategy, a dedicated research centre, and a teacher AI/ICT competency framework.

Activities

On 24 November 2025, Cambodia's Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) and UNESCO convened the country's first National AI for Education Conference (more than 400 policymakers, educators, researchers and development partners), inaugurating the Research Center on AI for Education (RAIE) at the Cambodia Academy of Digital Technology (CADT), with support from the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications. An ICT and AI Competency Framework for teachers is being developed under the USD 27.02 million Global Partnership for Education-funded STEPCam programme.

Conclusions

Based on the sources reviewed, this is an institution- and policy-building initiative, not yet a classroom intervention with measured learning outcomes; the readiness assessment's baseline constraints are risks the new framework is explicitly meant to address rather than problems already solved.

Implementation
Indicative cost
High (€500k–€5M) — The teacher competency framework and related activities are being developed under the USD 27.02 million Global Partnership for Education-funded STEPCam programme; conference and RAIE launch costs are not separately itemised.
Time to results
Medium (1–3 years) — RAM completed July 2025; national conference and RAIE launch on 24 November 2025; teacher competency framework still in development under STEPCam as of the sources reviewed.
Staffing & skills
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS), UNESCO technical support, Cambodia Academy of Digital Technology (CADT) - host institution for RAIE, Ministry of Post and Telecommunications (support), STEPCam programme staff (Global Partnership for Education funded)

Conditions for success

  • A national AI ethics readiness assessment (RAM) as an evidence base before policy design
  • Multi-ministry coordination (education, posts/telecommunications) and UNESCO technical partnership
  • A dedicated, hosted research institution (RAIE at CADT) to sustain the work beyond a one-off conference
  • Sustained donor funding (GPE-funded STEPCam) to develop and deliver the teacher competency framework
  • Addressing underlying infrastructure and teacher-qualification gaps alongside the AI policy work

Common failure modes

  • No teacher-training completion numbers or student outcomes have yet been published; risk of the initiative remaining at the policy/institution-building stage without reaching classrooms
  • Only 22% of schools have functional computers and roughly 80% of teachers hold sub-bachelor's qualifications - infrastructure and workforce gaps the framework must overcome to have classroom effect
  • Available AI tools remain overwhelmingly English-language, risking limited usability in Khmer-medium instruction

Where it fits

Governance type
national government ministry with UN agency and donor support
Scale
national (Cambodia)
Income level
low-income

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

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Data sources

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