Our History
From 3 teachers to 50+ professionals.
From neighbourhood English classes to Cambodia's Centre of Competence.
TDSO’s evolution from a small neighbourhood English programme to Cambodia’s nationally recognised Centre of Competence demonstrates how local initiative, strategic focus, and government partnership can create systemic change in teacher professional development.
What began in 2016 as English classes for local children quickly revealed a more fundamental challenge: the shortage of well-trained teachers. This realisation led to a decisive strategic pivot that would define TDSO’s future direction. Rather than expanding student programmes, we focused on what created lasting impact: systematic teacher professional development delivered through partnership with Cambodia’s public education system.
The transformation from The Angkor Tree Project to the Teacher Development Support Organisation reflects this strategic evolution. Today, our team of 50+ professionals operates across all provinces, fully integrated into the Ministry of Education’s 2030 strategy, delivering evidence-based teacher development that builds sustainable capacity within government structures.
Early Years 2016-2018
The organisation started in 2016 as a small initiative providing English classes to children in a disadvantaged Siem Reap neighbourhood. As demand grew, additional classrooms were added and more teachers joined the team. However, this expansion quickly revealed a critical challenge: finding well-trained teachers proved far more difficult than finding students.
This realisation prompted a strategic decision that would shape TDSO’s future direction. In 2018, we established our first teacher training courses, initially for NGO teachers. The response was immediate. Teachers requested training sessions at rates that far exceeded our original student enrollment growth, indicating substantial unmet demand for professional development.
The Teacher Training Centre was established during this period, bringing aboard professional teacher trainers who brought systematic methodology to our work. We added language training for teachers to our portfolio, recognising that teachers themselves needed strong English skills before they could effectively teach it.
These early years established the foundation for what would become our core focus: systematic, professional development for teachers rather than direct service to students.
Strategic Pivot 2019-2020
In 2019, TDSO made a decisive strategic shift that would define our future trajectory. We launched our first teacher training courses specifically for public school teachers, moving beyond the NGO sector to engage directly with Cambodia’s government education system. This marked the beginning of our transition from a project-based organisation to a systematic partner in national teacher professional development.
The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, whilst challenging, accelerated our evolution. We rapidly integrated IT literacy into all teacher training programmes, recognising that digital competence had become essential for modern teaching practice. We developed online and blended learning delivery models, ensuring professional development could continue despite school closures.
This period also saw the beginning of international recognition. We secured initial funding from Belgium and Switzerland, establishing relationships with institutional funders who valued systematic, evidence-based approaches to teacher development over traditional charity models. These partnerships provided the foundation for sustainable growth and validated our strategic direction.
The name change from The Angkor Tree Project to Teacher Development Support Organisation reflected this fundamental shift in mission and approach.
Scaling & Integration: 2021-2023
The period from 2021 to 2023 marked TDSO’s transformation into a nationally significant organisation. We broadened programme content, dramatically increased the number of teachers receiving professional development, and built a robust local management team capable of delivering systematic training at scale. International funding expanded substantially as institutional funders recognised the quality and sustainability of our approach.
In 2022, we leveraged our proven methodology to scale programmes across Cambodia’s public school system. Penetration in public schools increased significantly, whilst our management team strengthened to handle growing operational complexity. The shift from project-based funding to more substantial international partnerships reflected growing confidence in our ability to deliver measurable, sustainable outcomes.
The pivotal moment came when the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport officially recognised TDSO as a partner. This recognition validated our methodology and formalised our integration into Cambodia’s national education strategy. We consolidated activities within a sustainable framework, implemented comprehensive monitoring and evaluation systems, and significantly expanded staff capacity to meet nationwide demand.
This period established TDSO as more than a training provider. We became an embedded partner within Cambodia’s education system, working within government structures to drive systematic improvement in teacher quality.
Current Position: 2024-2026
TDSO now operates as Cambodia’s Centre of Competence for in-service teacher professional development. Our team of 45 professionals delivers systematic, evidence-based training across all provinces, fully integrated into the Ministry of Education’s 2030 strategy for teacher development.
The 2025 accreditation of our programmes by MoEYS represents a transformative milestone. We are positioned to move beyond training individual teachers to training Teacher Trainers, multiplying our impact through systematic capacity building within government structures. This evolution from direct service provider to capacity builder demonstrates the maturity of our methodology and the sustainability of our approach.
Our current position reflects nearly a decade of strategic evolution. From neighbourhood English classes to nationally recognised Centre of Competence. From three teachers to more than 50 professionals. From project-based charity work to systematic partnership within Cambodia’s education system. Each stage built on lessons learned, refined methodology, and deepening integration with government structures.
TDSO now stands as Cambodia’s reference organisation for in-service teacher development, with transferable methodology that addresses fundamental challenges in teaching quality across the public education system