Books are one of the most significant enablers of children’s academic achievement. Nevertheless, shortages of books persist in many developing countries, including Cambodia. In response, Cambodia piloted a digital solution called Track and Trace (TnT) in 2017 and fully adopted the application in 2020 to manage textbook supply nationwide. This study applied a case study design with multiple sources of data to (i) study TnT’s characteristics and its perceived impacts, (ii) examine factors critical to its development and implementation, and (iii) identify the remaining challenges encountered by the stakeholders. We used primary data from an online survey of 807 primary schools across Cambodia and 31 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders. The analyses show that TnT saved time, finances, and human resources, improved textbook accessibility, and promoted transparency and accountability. Five critical factors were found to be the main drivers of the development and implementation of TnT: long-term vision and leadership commitment, information technology, user commitment, training and capacity development. The COVID-19 pandemic was also a significant accelerator of this digital solution. Nonetheless, we observed some persisting challenges in adopting TnT, including the digital divide between schools in urban and rural areas, the TnT interface’s limited user-friendliness, high expenses for improvement and insufficient funding, inadequate user training and guidance materials, and a lack of engagement among some users. Stakeholders should collaborate to ensure equal digital access and provide TnT training, and local services should be hired to improve TnT functionality and enable flexible school-level access.

Authors:
Phoury Bun, Cambodia Development Resource Institute, Cambodia
Sopheak Song, Cambodia Development Resource Institute, Cambodia
Jeongmin Lee, University of Notre Dame, United States
Penelope Bender, University of Notre Dame, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Phoury is a Research Fellow at the Cambodia Development Resource Institute. Her research interests include TVET, STEAM, edupreneurship, social psychology of the classroom, and technology, creativity, and critical thinking in education.

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https://www.linkedin.com/in/phoury-bun-22b23311b/

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