KAO Sovansophal

Name	KAO Sovansophal
Country	Cambodia
Year / month of graduation	March 2021
Degree obtained	Doctoral Degree
Position / organization as of March 2021	Vice-chief Office, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport

This article was written in March 2021.

Why did you choose Japan, and Hiroshima university for your study?

Made in Japan has been the most preferable brand of the products and being able to pursue my higher education in Japan has also been my longtime academic aspirations. Japan is the country with modern technology, and this is in line with my research interest in science and technology policy. Moreover, I am influenced by the Cambodian graduates from Japanese university.

These role models are equipped with practical knowledge not only in the subject matter but also in research. They have been contributing significantly to the sectoral improvement upon returning to Cambodia, and I want to be part of them. Hiroshima University is one of the flagship university offering diverse fields of study including education. In this regard, since I am from the education sector, Hiroshima University has been the most suitable institution. Having completed my master’s degree here, I am fascinated by not only the academic but also social and environmental aspects of Hiroshima University. As consequent, I am back to Hiroshima University to pursue my Doctoral Degree.

What did you learn and study at Hiroshima university?

During this three-year course at Hiroshima University, I have learnt and studied a lot. Academically, I could accumulate experiences to become a researcher. One of the outcomes of doing doctoral degree at Hiroshima University is to become an experienced researcher in the field of your expertise. Therefore, I have learnt a lot about the process of planning, conducting, writing, and publishing research articles in both regional and international journals. Second, I have learnt crucial knowledge in my field of research. Simply put, for my doctoral dissertation, I have been working on how to promote upper secondary school students’ interest in science so that they are aspired to uptake into STEM majors at higher education. With abundant learning and researching resources, therefore, I have learnt a lot about STEM promotion policy in the international and local contexts. In addition, Also, I have studied other academic related theme through participation in on-campus trainings and workshops. Besides academic work, I have also learnt much about Japanese people and Japanese cultures and civilization through accommodating myself in the community. I have also participated in several extracurricular activities of Hiroshima University including, but not limited to, peace exchange program and other cultural activities.

Did you enjoy your stay in Hiroshima?

It has been an exciting experience for me to return to Hiroshima in 2018 after I left here in 2013. Apart from my academic life, there are many social aspects of Hiroshima and great Japanese citizens that I truly admire and make my stay here enjoyable. I cannot describe how much I appreciate Hiroshima. What I love the most about staying here is the friendly, helpful, and honest Japanese citizens. Like the other parts of Japan, Hiroshima is also one of the peaceful and clean places to stay. The lessons I have learnt in my social life in Hiroshima will also remain deeply embedded in my heart and in my memory. These lessons have shaped and sharpened my character as a global citizenship and made my stay here very meaningful life chapter.

Please tell us your current work. Does what you learned or studied at Hiroshima university help you?

In Cambodia I am involved in three main job functions—department work, project related tasks, and Cambodia Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) and Hiroshima University Collaboration Center. First, I am currently the vice-chief of admission office of the Department of Higher Education (DHE). Under this duty, I am taking part in the policy discussion involve in setting the admission criteria, orienting students in choosing major in higher education, and taking the consideration in improving STEM enrolment. Second, I am also the head of the former Development and Innovation Grant. Furthermore, under the second World Bank project, I am also a team member from the department to participate in any discussion, particularly for research and STEM improvement aspects, to prepare this Higher Education Improvement Project. Last, I am also the coordinator for Cambodia MoEYS and Hiroshima University Collaboration Center. Therefore, the crucial and practical knowledge gained from Hiroshima University would help my utilization plan as follow. First, since one of the main targets of MoEYS is to promote STEM enrolment in higher education, my knowledge in this subject matter would help contribute to the realization of MoEYS policy agenda. Moreover, what I have learnt at Hiroshima University would enable me, at the greatest extent, to implement the on-going project to improve higher education sub-sector in general and STEM education, in particular. Second, I would enhance my leadership potential to take higher leadership position to participate in higher level of policy discussion as well as education strategic planning and any other initiatives to help improve Cambodia higher education sub-sector. Third, as research promotion is one of the key agendas of MoEYS, I would utilize my competence gained from Hiroshima University to help promote research culture and research activities at higher education institutions (HEIs). I would help strengthen the implementation of the research promotion policy particularly in STEM of MoEYS under the new World Bank project. Last, I would continue to serve as the bridge for mutual understanding between Hiroshima University and HEIs in Cambodia. Therefore, I would support MoEYS and Hiroshima University Collaboration Center to achieve the goal of exchange students between Hiroshima University and Cambodian HEIs.

Do you recommend Hiroshima university for others to choose?

Having been educated at Hiroshima University for five years, I strongly recommend Hiroshima University to all prospective students to pursue their higher education for several key reasons. First, Hiroshima University is one of the comprehensive universities which can significantly develop individual potential in diverse fields of, but not limited to, science, engineering, medicine, and education.

Second, Hiroshima University significantly develops and enhances not only students’ expertise in the field but also their research skills. Students are comprehensively equipped with subject matter knowledge as well as research aspiration and research capacity upon graduation. Third, Hiroshima has abundant of resources for learning and doing research which can enable students to maximize their potential. Last, Hiroshima University is highly recommended for students who like a peaceful and natural friendly campus in Higashi-Hiroshima city.

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