The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport – in cooperation with several partner organisations – are co-hosting a 3-day digital literacy workshop for students in Mondulkiri province.

The session aims to share important lessons, including the safe use of social media, in order to avoid becoming the victims of scams.

The workshop is taking place from August 10-12 at the provincial Department of Education, Youth and Sport and is being overseen by Chek Lim, deputy-director general of the education ministry’s youth department.

A total of 320 students from selected target schools are attending, 70 per cent of them from ethnic minority groups. The event is being run in collaboration with education ministry’s Central Management Department, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, Smart Axiata, TikTok and Young SEAkers Cambodia.

The education ministry explained that several speakers – both in-person and online –were ready to share important digital experiences and knowledge with the students.

It added that the students were learning how to protect themselves from risks such as scams, sexual harassment, threats and the spread of misinformation. They were taught about the importance of strong passwords, and also learned how to use Facebook and other social media platforms, as well as the best ways to search for information on the Internet.

The course also offers lessons on the use of Google applications (Google Meet, Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides), and Telegram, Canva, Facebook, and TikTok.

The ministry hoped that upon completion of the workshop, the students would be able to use the systems more effectively and responsibly. In particular it is hoped they will develop wider self-awareness, which will assist them in their studies and their broader understanding of various risks that can arise from the use of digital media.