Mr. Hing Pisey, Teacher

Mr. Hing Pisey is 23 years old and is a community teacher at UWS Ta Lart Thmey in Cambodia. He began his training as a UWS community teacher in 2020.

Pisey was born and raised in Ta Lart Thmey. His education journey was not easy because he had difficulties getting access education. Despite the challenges of not having a school in his village, Pisey was very committed to getting an education, so when he finished primary school education, he moved from his village to complete his high school education at the nearest high school he could find. Pisey graduated grade 12 in 2020, and returned to become a community teacher at Ta Lart Thmey.

With his grade 12 diploma, Pisey could have chosen any job outside his community where he could have earned a very good salary. However, he decided to work UWS Ta Lart Thmey because there were no other people in this community with a high school education. He wants to improve the quality of education in his community and has committed himself to being a community teacher. Pisey is hoping that one day his students will have bright futures and also decide to give back to their community in important ways.

In Pisey’s daily responsibilities, he teaches classes at the school, maintains the school environment and recruits students to enroll in school. He works closely with the “School Support Committee” which are parents and community members who learn about school governance and programs so that the community can one day manage their own school.

Pisey also works with the UWS Education Officers who train the teachers on exciting project based learning lessons and other engaging teaching practices.

During the Covid pandemic school closures, Pisey and two other community teachers implemented distance learning with the support from our Education Officers. He and his colleagues spent time reaching out to students at their home and teaching them in small groups. The challenge during distance learning is that teachers often have to travel from one home to another, and the students find it quite hard to concentrate when studying in an open space at home. Also, the students seem to miss their friends and the classroom environment. However, distance learning helped the students to be on track with their lessons.

Pisey is excited to continue his work as a UWS community teacher. He has developed new skills as a teacher, gained experience leading the community and sees a bright future for UWS Ta Lart Thmey.