SUCCESS & INNOVATION

Mr. Mel Sereynivorth, a physics teacher at Bour High School in Phnom Proek District, Battambang Province, participated in the Hour of Code training provided by the AI Ready ASEAN project in May 2025. His goal is to deepen his understanding of digital literacy and bring back the knowledge and skills he gained from the training to share with teachers and students at his school.

During the Hour of Code teaching, he encountered two challenges. First of all, a lack of computers for students to use, as the school is in a rural area. The second challenge is that many students did not have their own smartphones because of their financially constrained background. To address these obstacles and ensure that the lesson could proceed smoothly, he divided the students into groups, with each group sharing a single device. This effective approach helps students learn together despite the shortage of equipment. 

After attending the Hour of Code training, he gained a clear understanding of how to use AI and the potential biases in its data. To ensure AI is used effectively and ethically, he is committed to continuously sharing his knowledge with students and communities. He now integrates AI into his teaching practice—using it to prepare lesson plans, conduct research, and enhance teaching and learning in ways that align with the demands of the digital age. However, he still has concerns about the use of AI. If we depend too much on it, we may lose confidence, think less critically, and struggle to generate innovative ideas—skills that are essential for solving problems in everyday life.

As of now, he has shared the Hour of Code (HoC) Campaign with over 800 people, including teachers and students. This reflects his strong commitment to promoting digital education, technology, and AI—especially in rural areas where such opportunities are limited. Moreover, his efforts not only provide new knowledge but also help cultivate students’ focus on learning, innovation, and preparing themselves for a digital future.

Finally, he would like everyone to continuously explore and research emerging technologies to develop skills and capabilities. This ongoing effort will enable meaningful contributions toward achieving the government’s vision of becoming an upper-middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income developed nation by 2050.

The AI Ready ASEAN project, led by the ASEAN Foundation with support from Google.org, is a regional initiative to promote AI and coding literacy through the Hour of Code​ as well as a global movement introducing computer science to diverse audiences.