My name is SET SENG. I am the firstborn and was born in a poor family in Reusey chuk Village, Roka Subdistrict, Pearang District, Preyveng Province, Cambodia, during Cambodia had a chaotic situation, namely, in Pol Pot regime (Khmer Rouge). I have 2 younger sisters and 1 younger brother.
I started a primary school in Reusey Chuk Village after Khmer Rouge regime in 1982. In 1988, I passed the entrance exam for Lower Secondary School in Pearang High School. At that time, it was really hard for my parents to support my study since they were poor. Further more, not only me had to school, but my next two sisters also were doing at primary school. My parents were working hard only as farmers. We lived depending on only growing rice. And my father also was getting old and became weak from day to day. Nerveless, he was doing much struggle to save money just only for supporting my study and my sisters' study. However, because of the family condition was very hard, so often that I skipped my classes to help them in the farm or to work for other families in order to make some moneys. It was so often that we just sat down together and cried among the family when we could not solve the problems for our stomach. Even though, my father never forgot to encourage me to study hard and to strengthen my life, and never to defeat the nature.
In 1991, I passed the entrance exam for High School. Again, my parents had heavier responsibility since higher grade more expenses. My father felt that he seemed could not afford such expenses both for family and for my study, as well as my sisters' study. He felt being fatigue since he was getting old. Therefore, he decided to stop my both younger sisters form schooling which they just completed the Primary School only. However, I was never less attention in my study at High School. Due to I did not have enough money, I asked my several teachers for attending their private classes in free of charge. Great! God blessed me that I could pass the final exam at High School in 1994. We all in the family were very very happy about that.
At the same time that we were glad because of my success, we also worried again of how to support my study at the Higher Education (University). Because, I had to go to Phnom Penh City to continue my study and this must need a lot of money, on the other hand we did not have any relative or did not know anyone in the city at all. Problem Again!!!
Fortunately, I was allowed to stay at Sambour Meas Pagoda (a place for Buddhism monk) supported by my current grand father in-law, where I could have everyday food with Buddhist monks and furthermore I could made some money by working several kinds of jobs which I did not mind any jobs at all in side or out side the pagoda. Therefore, my parents felt less worried upon my life and my study at the city. The lack of support, I decided to take entrance exam for the Royal Phnom Penh University (RUPP) in major of chemistry because I thought that other universities needed a lot of expenses.
Not so long and soon, I got married when I just was in the second year at the university. My university graduation was in 1999 and I took an entrance exam for a teacher training program in Faculty of Pedagogy (FOP) which is now called "National Institute of Education (NIE)". In 2000, after graduating from FOP, I was immediately selected to be a chemistry lecturer in FOP.
I was assigned to teach teacher trainees who graduated from RUPP and they would become chemistry teachers at High School after graduation from this center. I also committed with Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as a chemistry counterpart in a Secondary School Teacher Training Project in Science and Mathematics (STEPSAM) until 2004. In September 2004, I passed a JICA scholarship for Master Program in Japan. Now, I am doing my second year Master Course at Okayama University, Faculty of Education, in the field of Science Education in Chemistry and under the supervision of Professor Dr. Masakazu KITA.
My last words, I would like to introduce the three important words, which I quoted from an ENGINE magazine of LDS and I think they are good words and should be remembered by any man. Those three words are "Never Give Up!"
Thank you very much for spending time to read my brief biography |
