An application for career guidance has changed students’ life at Phnom Lork lower secondary school. “It is an app that is useful for students to define their personal goals according to their interests,” explains teacher Chab Bory. The Trey Visay app is one of the most recent changes she could see in her 19-year teaching career. “I was a student in this school and then, I continued to work here. I saw many changes. In the past, this school was mostly empty and there was only an old building. Now, we have equipment, a laboratory, computers for children and a library with many books.”
Chab Bory welcomes the app as an innovative and practical tool. She explains: “Before we had this app, it happened that some students did not know how to decide their career path. They could not imagine what job they wanted or could do. This app is very good for students to know better what kind of studies would suit them best. For example, they can watch a range of videos about different jobs and they can have an idea of what they find interesting.”
The app has helped students like Chea Sivheng, 15 years old student. “I use this app,” she says. “I like to watch singers and dancers but me, I want to become an English teacher in my school. This is because I love my teacher and I want to be like her.” The app has helped her to identify her strengths and weaknesses and provided personalized recommendations based on her specific interests, skills, and goals.
“I can already speak and write in English and I want to go to a good university in Phnom Penh.” Sivheng’s language skill is, indeed, rather impressive. “I am happy with this app,” she adds with a perfect English pronunciation. “I could test myself and I could learn more about myself.”
Her teacher Chab Bory continues with a smile: “They can choose a university and a course that is related to their personal strengths and interests. This app is a very good way to show to students what are their options. They can gain an idea of how to manage their future.” More than 80% of students now know what they want to study, what are their options and how to choose an education path.
Chab Bory insists: “Some students had no idea of what subjects they wanted to study. We always advise them not to go to university just to stay with their friends or have fun but to choose seriously a specific topic according to their own interests and skills. With this app, they can have a lot of details about the university they can go to, including the cost of their studies. It is very much a step-by-step guide.”
The education app is a co-investment in the young generation’s future. It is part of the CO-SAVED project implemented by KAPE in cooperation with Action Education (Aide et Action) and co-funded by the EU. The project contributes to improve the school environment and provides training and resources to teachers, school directors, librarians, parents, and school management committees. It also provides early warning systems to prevent school dropout, scholarship packages to poor students, school building renovations, and support to community preschools. Overall, the ambition is to improve access to education, to increase enrollment and to improve the quality of education in primary and secondary schools in the coastal provinces of Cambodia.
