Just before I left Cambodia, I attended the CamTESOL conference in Phnom Penh, where I gave a paper on setting-up ILT. CamTESOL was set up to organise an annual conference on ELT in Cambodia, bringing ESL teachers from all over the country for the two-day event.
Having lived in Cambodia for a few months before I spoke, I had some idea of the difficulties faced there. Also, having set up UsingEnglish.com on a shoestring without any support, we have quite a few ideas on how to get going on the internet without spending much money.
It was very good to see that there was so much interest in ILT, even though the conditions are not in place yet to implemement it on a national scale. Large scale ILT schemes require huge teams and massive funding, but there are cheap and effective alternatives using enthusiasm and the internet, which can be adapted to resource poor settings. If certain principles are followed, and there is dedication and hard work, it is possible to bypass the costly schemes that are unlikely to be implemented in developing countries, and set up basic ILT systems that can be widely used without breaking the bank.
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