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SET was established in 1994 by Phra Peter Pannapadipo, a British Buddhist monk. Phra Peter lived in a rural monastery in the northern province of Nakhon Sawan, where he taught English at a local high school. One of his students, Seckson, excelled at most subjects but his rice-farming parents were desperately poor and couldn’t even afford their son’s bus fares to school. Instead, Seckson lived full time at the school, staying in a dilapidated shed in the school grounds.
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| Student 0001. With SET support, Seckson gained not only a Bachelor degree but a Master as well. Using his own resources, he later studied for a PhD. Seckson is now married and has a daughter named Lotus. |
Seckson had passed a university entrance examination to study for a degree in Physics but because of his parents’ poverty there was no possibility of taking up the place. Unable to realize his dream of studying at university, Seckson had decided instead to take a job as a pump attendant in a gas station. To Phra Peter, that seemed a great waste of talent and he resolved to find a way to help the student.
Phra Peter explained Seckson’s plight to friends in the UK and they agreed to support Seckson while he studied. More than enough was donated so the balance became the foundation of a fund to help other students in similar circumstances. The fund became the Students’ Education Trust. With continuous support from SET, Seckson not only gained his Bachelor degree but a Master as well. Using his own resources, he later studied for a PhD. Dr Seckson is now a university lecturer in Nuclear Physics – good progress for someone who once saw his future as pumping gas.
In 1995, Phra Peter moved to a monastery in Nakhon Sawan City. The monastery was close to all the province’s main centers of education, including Rajabhat University. Over the years, Phra Peter lectured at all the centers and established good relationships with directors, teachers and welfare officers.
SET really took off in 1997 after the publication of Phra Peter’s first book, Phra Farang. The book included an appeal for impoverished students and, as a result, SET started to receive support from concerned people from all over the world. Phra Peter's second book, Little Angels, about the lives of novice monks, received an even greater response. Two other books were published, with a similar result. All Phra Peter's book royalties were donated to SET.
By mid-2003, SET had expanded to the point where Phra Peter’s work for the charity began to cause some conflict for him as a monk. To resolve that conflict, Phra Peter left the monk-hood to devote all his time to student welfare. Now, as Peter Robinson, he works voluntarily as SET’s Director. Many teachers and welfare officers also give their time to helping SET but the charity has no paid staff.
In 2005, The Students' Education Trust was registered as a foundation in Thailand and became The SET Foundation. President is Mr Sievert Larsson of Sweden, with trustees Peter Robinson, Mrs Supaporn Pornpibul, Dr Teeppipat Suntawan, Ms Dalad Anuttarunggoon and Mr Adrian Topham.
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About SET