CoolThink@JC programme expands to Cambodia

Cambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) has partnered with Hong Kong’s award-winning CoolThink@JC programme to introduce computational thinking education in Cambodian primary schools.  

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the "CoolThink@JC × Cambodia Sharing and Exchange Programme" was signed on June 18 at Sha Tin Racecourse. Funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust (HKJCCT), the initiative will adapt CoolThink@JC’s curriculum for Cambodia’s public schools.  

Under the agreement, Cambodia’s MoEYS will implement the programme in 100 public primary schools from 2025 to 2028, reaching approximately 30,000 students and training 500 teachers. The collaboration aims to provide equitable digital education and develop future-ready skills while bridging the digital divide.  

Sok Tha, Director of MoEYS’s Department of Digital Transformation, emphasized the programme’s alignment with Cambodia’s national vision for developing digital talent. He noted it would enhance teachers’ professional development through workshops while boosting students’ critical thinking and innovation capabilities, particularly in STEM fields. Cambodia plans to share outcomes at international forums including the 2026 Global Smart Education Conference in Beijing.  

Winnie Ying, HKJCCT Head of Charities, highlighted the programme’s global recognition and stated the expansion would strengthen educational ties between Hong Kong, ASEAN, and Belt and Road regions. Knowledge exchange between educators is expected to improve learning environments across Asia, with translated materials also benefiting Hong Kong’s ethnic minority students.  

During the International Conference on Computational Thinking Education in Hong Kong, Sok Tha reinforced Cambodia’s commitment to building a knowledge-based society through digital education. The CoolThink@JC programme, founded in 2016 by HKJCCT with The Education University of Hong Kong, MIT and City University of Hong Kong, has trained over 1,500 teachers and reached over 100,000 students. Adopted by Hong Kong’s Education Bureau in 2023 as the foundation for coding education, it is being rolled out across all publicly-funded primary schools in Hong Kong.