Training of ICT teacher trainees at the National Institute of Education

All 56 IT teacher trainees and economics and IT teacher trainees at the National Institute of Education receive intensive ICT training on Khmer language applications and computer maintenance from the Open Schools Program from June to August 2007. These pre-service teachers will be teaching IT in upper secondary schools around the country after they graduate in September. All students received 20 hours of training on how to use and teach Khmer language Free and Open Source applications, such as OpenOffice, Mekhala (Firefox) and Moyura (Thunderbird), as well as web-mail. A 20 hour course on Computer Maintenance and Networking, ensuring that they will be able to give first level maintenance in the computer rooms and administration of the schools to which they are assigned. 60 hours on SuSE Linux in Khmer language have given them a strong basis to install and manage computers running Linux, the only computer system in Khmer language. The training has been completed with teaching practice. The students have been working as teacher assistants and as teachers, for the training of their non-IT colleagues, and of children from selected schools.