The 16th Annual CamTESOL
IDP hosts 1,600 Delegates from 31 Countries at CamTESOL Conference 7-9 February
I’mACE Team
The 16th Annual CamTESOL Conference on English Language Teaching saw over 1,600 delegates from 31 countries over the weekend. Hosted annually in Phnom Penh by IDP Education, CamTESOL 2020 features over 500 presentations by over 400 presenters from Cambodia and around the globe. The theme for this year conference was “21st Century ELT: Approaches for Effective Practices”. Over 16 years since it was established, CamTESOL is one of the largest and most attractive TESOL conferences in the Asia-Pacific region.
Every year CamTESOL brings together English language teachers, teacher trainers, researchers in the fields of ELT and linguistics, administrators of schools and universities, educators, government officials and policy makers who have an interest in language education.
CamTESOL 2020 was officially opened by HE Dr Hang Chuon Naron, Minister of Education, Youth and Sport, HE Pablo Kang, Australian Ambassador to Cambodia, HE Tina Redshaw, British Ambassador to Cambodia, Mr Arend Zwartjes, US Embassy Representative and Mr Mao Sreng, IDP Education Country Director and CamTESOL Convener.
"I'm grateful to all the delegates for sharing with Cambodian teachers on how to effectively teach English. Teachers are the backbone of our education system." said HE Dr Hang Chuon Naron in his official opening speech.
When asked about the ELT teachers’ roles in future development, HE Pablo Kang said, “Teachers have very important roles in educating the next generation of students in the English language since it is a very important life skill.”
HE Tina Redshaw mentioned during an interview with I’mACE that, "Cambodian teachers perhaps don't have many opportunities to travel to big teaching conferences, so the fact that CamTESOL brings everyone to Cambodia is a fantastic idea."
The conference had 26 exhibitors who are publishers, education institutions and related service providers including Cambridge English Assessment, Oxford University Press, National Geographic and Macmillan Publishers.
Among the delegates at CamTESOL, there were nearly 1000 Cambodian ELT professionals and teachers, the majority of whom come from the provinces.
The 500 presentations were in 21 streams featuring plenary sessions and panel discussions by world-renowned experts such as Prof Diane Larsen-Freeman (University of Michigan, USA), Prof Roland Sussex (University of Queensland, Australia), Dr Hanan Khalifa (Cambridge Assessment English, UK), Prof Gary Barkhuizen (University of Auckland, New Zealand), Dr Patrick Pheasant (NEAS, Australia), Dr Marie Yeo (SEAMEO RELC, Singapore), and Dr Keuk Chan Narith and Dr Khan Bophan (Institute of Foreign Languages, Cambodia), and Mr Graham Braddick (ACE, Cambodia).
Mr Mao Sreng noted that, “CamTESOL has enjoyed the support and contribution from delegates and institutions in Cambodia and overseas and this has helped establish Cambodia as a key regional and international focal point for the sharing of latest trends and best practices in English language teaching, learning and research”.
CamTESOL is supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Cambodia, the US Embassy, the Australian Embassy, the British Embassy and a broad range of institutions and individuals involved in ELT in Cambodia, the Southeast Asian region, and internationally. CamTESOL is acknowledged for its role and contribution to the growth and popularity of the conference as well as the improving standard of English language teaching and learning.
A presenter from Vietnam shared her experience attending CamTESOL for the third time "As an important event with many delegates coming from all over the world, CamTESOL is organised and managed smoothly according to the schedule."
The 17th Annual CamTESOL Conference will be held on 5-7 February 2021 with the theme “Actions and Innovations in Teaching and Learning”. To present or attend the next CamTESOL, visit: www.camtesol.org