Communication in Inclusive Education

Government teacher trainers from 11 cities and provinces, 23females amongst 33 participants, joined OIC Cambodia’s training onCommunication in Inclusive Education from 04 to 07 June, at the Department ofSpecial Education in Phnom Penh.

The 33 trainees included focal trainers from each provincial education office. The objective of the training was to build the capacity of focal trainers to train and support preschool teachers in the province, to facilitate quality, inclusive education for children with communication difficulties.

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  From left: Ms. Net Chenda, ED of OIC Cambodia, Mr. Thorng Rithy, Director of Special Education Departmetn.

In her welcome remark, Ms. Chenda, the Executive Director ofOIC Cambodia, highlighted the importance of communication in InclusiveEducation and the need for capacity building of early childhood teachers.

Build capacity of the pre-school teacher is one of OIC’score strategy activity to support children with communication difficultieswithin their classrooms; this assists to national education strategic plan andframework towards promoting Inclusive and equitable quality education andlifelong learning for all children in Cambodia.

To enable the development of high-quality Cambodian speech therapy profession, we are currently working to establish a college on Speech Therapy in Cambodia, and promoting the awareness of the service provision and its need within the community and other relevant stakeholders and government. “OIC Cambodia will exit when 100 Cambodians university qualified speech therapists are integrated into Cambodia’s public sector by 2030,” said Ms. Chenda.

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  Mr. Thorng Rithy, Director of Special Education Department

In 2008 the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport (MoEYS)developed a policy on Children with disabilities, which was revised toInclusive Education Policy in 2018.

“According to the needof MoEYS and Special Education Department for the training, is to have basic knowledge, since now we have no project andexperiences on Communication to help children who are facing communicationdifficulties at the childhood Education level,” said Mr. Thorng Rithy, Directorof Department of Special Education, in the opening remark.

The training was designed to ensure that focal trainers have the knowledge and resources needed to build the capacity of teachers in their local communities. After training, the trainers will contribute to skills and expertise in their local communities through the provision of workshops, information sharing, and monitoring in schools.

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  Group Discussion

“I can now identify the way communication impacts on childrenwho have difficulties and have a better understanding of common disabilitiessuch as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is? What is Down Syndrome (DNS)? Also,What Cerebral Palsy (CP) is?” said Ms. Thon Sina, a Chief of ProvincialChildhood Education Office in Siem Reap.

She added that the unique way in which the training wasdelivered made participants feel energized and enriched their understanding.

From Sihanouk province, Ms. Em Vutheavy, Chief of childhoodeducation office, was very impressed by the training. “I learned a lot from theexperiences of teachers, and the class was designed very comprehensively, with activities,case studies, and opportunities for trainees to solve challenges by themselves.