Prior to Covid, our school year was from early November to late August. After almost three years of Covid disruption, the government has now set the school year to start in early January and run through early November. We will plan graduation ceremonies for early January just prior to the beginning of the 2024 school year. We anticipate approximately 95 students graduating from Spitler and Kurata School this year, which are similar to the last several years. We are expecting the same number of students to graduate from Stephen Mazujian Middle School. Mark your calendars and keep your eyes open for how you can contribute to these exciting times in our students’ lives.

Student graduation certificates ready for distribution

Spitler School Foundation would like to share another Inspired Perspectives — focusing on our computer literacy program. Thank you to many donors who have either provided computers or funds for their purchase over the past decade. Demand for the programs continues to increase even as computers become unreliable and eventually unusable. We regularly look for ways to add more computers to our programs so that our students can continue to have access to basic computer skills. 

Inspired Perspectives, 2nd edition

Despite its growing use in Cambodia, computer skills remain quite low for most Cambodians. According to the Cambodian Ministry, 70% of Cambodians are computer illiterate. Computer skills are not required subjects in the Cambodia education curriculum, and computer classes are mainly taught at universities, rather than in lower grades.

Recognizing the overwhelming importance of computer skills, in 2012, Spitler School Foundation decided to establish and integrate this extra-curricular class into the Spitler and Kurata Primary Schools. Most of the primary students live in remote farming areas and have little access to technology in their homes—some do not even have electricity in their homes. The Spitler School Foundation and its donors wanted to bring opportunities for computer skills to these students, and to provide an understanding of technology that so many others around the world take for granted.

Sharing his passion for technology and bringing his creativity to the students is Mr. Oudome, Spitler School Foundation’s full-time computer teacher. Mr. Oudome’s love of computers began at a young age, and he continued to develop his skills through a degree in Information Technology from Build Bright University in Siem Reap. His mother, a retired primary school teacher, is his greatest inspiration and his idol.

Combining his love for computers with the influence from his mother in teaching, Mr. Oudome’s ability to help the students realize their true potential is inspiring.

By: Mr. Ros Bunthoeum, Inspired Perspectives Series

Thorn Monin Sovan Meta was born in 2011 in the village of Anchagn in Nokor Thom district, one of the remote, less populated, forested areas, and a neighboring region of Siem Reap town, Cambodia. She is the third child of four siblings, and she comes from a loving, middle-class family. Her father works as a staff in a five-star hotel in Siem Reap, and he is a strong supporter of his daughter’s education. Her mother stays home and takes care of the household chores and the kids. Although the family is not rich, they are happy, and that is the reason why Meta has been able to concentrate well on her studies and has made it to the sixth grade, about to move up to the middle school level.

Meta is always doing her best in her academic performance and there are a couple of subjects she is brilliant at – social studies, Khmer language studies, basic science and specifically English language. Not only is she good at these subjects, she is also passionate about drawing. In her free time, Meta does so much drawing just for fun, and she is always looking for any opportunity to take part in any drawing competitions.  A few months ago, she participated in a drawing contest called National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan Award. There were young contestants from 15 schools in Cambodia and 24 countries around Asian Countries participating in the contest.   Contestants were supposed to produce an original drawing; they were not allowed to copy from the others, neither from coursebooks nor from the internet. Because of her extraordinary talent, Meta made it to the final round and earned Fourth Place out of hundreds of young contestants. Meta’s drawings were about Cambodia’s finest culture and civilizations. Meta dreams of becoming a teacher when she grows up.