UNESCO and MoEYS Organise National Teacher Conference 2025: Centring Teachers at the Heart of Education Reform

The rapid advancement of technology in modern days has begun to reshape educational landscapes around the world. Emerging tools like artificial intelligence (AI) are fundamentally altering how teachers and students interact, presenting both new opportunities and challenges for classroom practice. As educators adapt to these technological shifts, it becomes increasingly important to place teachers at the centre of these transformations, ensuring that innovation serves to empower rather than replace the vital human touch at the heart of learning.

On 17-18 November 2025, the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport (MoEYS) and UNESCO successfully organised the annual National Teacher Conference, supported by the Strengthening Teacher Education Programmes in Cambodia (STEPCam), financed by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). Under the central theme of "Teachers at the Heart of Education Reform," the conference served as a national platform to promote research culture within the teaching profession and advance dialogues on how research, policy, and innovation can strengthen teaching and learning in Cambodia. Throughout the two-day event, participants deliberated on the ethical use of AI and technology, research, and policies for sustainable and inclusive innovation and creativity.

The conference was chaired by His Excellency Dr Hang Chuon Naron, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Youth and Sport and joined by Ms Esther McFarlane, Officer-In-Charge of UNESCO Cambodia. Over 600 policymakers, experts, researchers, practitioners, and student teachers from the region and across Cambodia joined online and in-person, drawing expertise from the private sector, higher education, teacher education institutions, provincial and district offices of education, and schools.