Author: Ms Heng Sok Mean, Research Assistant at CDRI’s Centre for Educational Research and Innovation

Key Highlights

• Despite the government’s efforts in building Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) human capital, student enrolment in the science track has dropped significantly between the academic years 2012–2013 and 2025–2026.

• What happens inside the classroom has been found to be one of the key factors influencing students’ learning track choices.

• While overall access to Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for teachers has expanded, professional development in specialised areas like project-based learning and interdisciplinary STEM remains limited.

• Access to CPD is uneven across schools. Disparities also persist based on gender, urban-rural location, and professional role. Translating CPD into actual classroom practice is hindered by content-heavy curricula, resource constraints, and a lack of interdisciplinary collaboration among teachers.

• Implementing need-based training, enhancing equity through knowledge-sharing networks, improving school facilities, and reforming assessments to prioritise problem-solving and practical application over rote learning can help strengthen the CDP system.

As Cambodia continues its transition towards a more knowledge-based and digital economy, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education has become increasingly important to the country’s long-term development. In 2023, only 12 percent of Cambodian employees possessed intermediate- or advanced-level skills, compared with 43 percent in Vietnam and 44 percent in Thailand. Recognising this, the Royal Government of Cambodia has placed growing emphasis on promoting STEM enrolment and strengthening STEM-related human capital.

Despite these efforts, student participation in STEM streams remains a concern. Between the academic years 2012–2013 and 2025–2026, student enrolment in the science track declined from around 90 percent to 32 percent. While multiple factors shape students’ educational choices, one important area deserving greater attention is what happens inside the classroom.

To better understand this issue, the Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI) conducted a study titled “STEM Teachers’ Continuous Professional Development: Opportunities, Challenges, and Policy Implications in Cambodia.” Using a mixed-methods approach, the study examined the accessibility of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) opportunities for upper secondary STEM teachers, as well as teachers’ perceptions of their effectiveness and practical challenges. The research drew on surveys with 401 teachers conducted in 2025 from across Cambodia, complemented by qualitative interviews conducted in selected upper secondary schools.

The Current Landscape of STEM CPD in Cambodia

CPD refers to ongoing activities designed to strengthen teachers’ pedagogical knowledge, subject expertise, and classroom practice. In Cambodia, CPD for STEM teachers generally operates across four levels:

• National level: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MOEYS), often in collaboration with development partners and Teacher Education Institutions such as the National Institute of Education (NIE), organises structured training workshops and technical programmes. Some non-governmental organisations also contribute to teacher training initiatives.
• Cluster level: Groups of nearby schools collaborate through school clusters to share experiences, exchange teaching practices, and conduct joint training activities.
• School level: Schools commonly organise monthly technical meetings, classroom observations, peer-learning sessions, and short in-house training activities.
• Individual level: Teachers also engage in self-directed professional learning through reading, action research, or further formal education.

At present, STEM-related CPD in Cambodia is largely driven through national workshops and school-based activities supported by major education projects funded by development partners, including the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank.

CDRI’s survey of the 401 teachers found that access to CPD has expanded considerably in recent years. Around 79 percent of surveyed teachers reported participating in at least one professional workshop during their teaching careers, while 67 percent had attended training within the previous five years.

However, participation in more specialised STEM pedagogical training remains comparatively limited. While many teachers had received training related to inquiry-based learning or technology integration, fewer had opportunities to engage in areas such as project-based learning, scientific equipment operation, or interdisciplinary STEM teaching approaches (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Topics of workshops in the last five years

Source: Author

Uneven Access to Professional Development

The study also points to notable disparities in CPD access. Teachers working in resource schools, established to enhance educational quality through upgraded facilities, typically have greater access to training than those in ordinary public schools. Currently, there are around 50 resource schools across the country.

As seen in Figure 2, nearly all surveyed teachers in resource schools (95 percent) reported participating in workshops within the past five years, compared to only around one-third (32 percent) of teachers in non-supported schools. Differences were also observed across gender, geographic location, and professional role, with male teachers, urban teachers, and technical teacher leaders often reporting greater access to training opportunities.

These findings suggest that, while Cambodia has made significant progress in expanding CPD opportunities, access remains uneven across different school environments.

Figure 2: Number of workshops attended within the last five years

Source: Author

Challenges in Translating Training into Classroom Practice

Access to training alone does not automatically lead to changes in classroom practice. Many teachers reported difficulties applying newly learned approaches within their everyday teaching environments.

One major challenge relates to curriculum and assessment structures. Cambodia’s curriculum remains content-heavy and examination-oriented, leaving limited classroom time for experiments, inquiry-based activities, and problem-solving exercises that are central to STEM learning.

Resource constraints also continue to affect implementation, particularly in schools with limited laboratory equipment, teaching materials, or reliable internet access. In some cases, teachers who receive training on hands-on STEM methods return to classrooms where the necessary resources to apply these approaches are unavailable.

The study also found that interdisciplinary collaboration remains limited in practice. Although STEM education encourages integration across science, mathematics, and information and communication technology (ICT) subjects, some teachers continue to view these disciplines separately. STEM is often associated primarily with science experiments, making it more difficult for mathematics and ICT teachers to identify meaningful cross-subject connections.

Another important challenge concerns the sustainability of CPD itself. Many training activities continue to rely heavily on short workshop-based formats. While these workshops provide valuable exposure to new methods, teachers often require longer-term mentoring, follow-up support, and opportunities for peer exchange to adapt new ideas effectively within their classroom contexts. Without sustained support, innovative teaching approaches may gradually give way to more familiar lecture-based practices.

Moving Towards More Sustainable STEM CPD

The findings suggest several areas where Cambodia’s STEM CPD system could be further strengthened.

First, CPD programmes would be more effective by introducing differentiated training approaches that consider teachers’ existing skill levels and school conditions. Encouraging greater collaboration among science, mathematics, and ICT teachers during workshops may also help strengthen interdisciplinary STEM teaching.

Second, there are opportunities to further improve equity in access to CPD by strengthening knowledge-sharing networks between well-resourced schools and neighbouring schools with fewer training opportunities. Existing teacher development frameworks could support more peer-learning and local mentoring systems.

Third, improving classroom implementation requires broader support beyond workshops alone. Continued efforts to strengthen school facilities, teaching materials, internet connectivity, and practical learning resources remain important for enabling teachers to apply learner-centred STEM approaches more consistently.

Finally, assessment reform plays an important role in supporting STEM transformation. Greater emphasis on problem-solving, scientific reasoning, and practical application within examinations can encourage more interactive and inquiry-based classroom practices.

This study was supported by the Australian Government through The Asia Foundation's Ponlok Chomnes II: Data and Dialogue for Development in Cambodia program. The views expressed in this study are the author's alone and are not necessarily the views of the Australian Government and The Asia Foundation.