Cambodia–Korea Seminar Strengthens Primary Teaching to Build Future Workforce

A high-level Cambodia–Korea seminar held in Phnom Penh today highlighted primary school teachers as the backbone of Cambodia’s long-term development, underscoring their essential role in building a future-ready workforce.

Strategic Education Partnership

The event represents a deepening of bilateral ties between Cambodia and the Republic of Korea in the education sector. Both nations agreed to broaden their cooperation in key areas including teacher training, curriculum development, and capacity building.

Delegates emphasized that well-trained primary teachers are vital for strengthening Cambodia’s foundational education system. By investing in early pedagogy, both countries aim to lay a strong base for future human capital development.

Focus on Teacher Quality

Improving teacher quality was a central theme of the seminar. Participants discussed plans to enhance both pre-service and in-service training for primary educators. This includes refining pedagogical approaches and integrating more modern, evidence-based teaching methods.

This move aligns with Cambodia’s broader educational reform agenda, which emphasizes professional standards, continuous development, and curriculum innovation.

Bilateral Support and Funding

Korea’s support to Cambodia’s education system is backed by concrete commitments. For example, KOICA (the Korea International Cooperation Agency) has pledged to continue expanding its educational partnership, particularly in teacher training and capacity development.

This is complemented by other international efforts: Cambodia recently secured a US$105 million World Bank project focused on strengthening primary education — including training tens of thousands of teachers and expanding school infrastructure.

Long-Term Vision

Beyond immediate capacity building, the seminar also looked ahead to how strengthened primary teaching can contribute to Cambodia’s socio-economic goals. Educators and policymakers agreed that elevating the quality of early-grade instruction will have ripple effects — improving student outcomes, reducing inequalities, and fueling workforce development.

Challenges & Opportunities

While the commitment is strong, challenges remain. Cambodia must ensure consistent implementation of teacher training reforms, especially in rural areas. At the same time, both sides saw opportunities to leverage digital tools — such as ICT — to modernize pedagogy and make teacher development more scalable.

Conclusion