Proud moment: Kamarul Azman (right) and Abdul Hakim are among those who got their PhDs during the 69th UTM convocation ceremony in Johor Baru.
JOHOR BARU: Age is no barrier for retired army officer Mejar (Rtd) Dr Kamarul Azman Jamaluddin, who obtained a PhD at 79 after a 10-year journey.
The former member of the 10th Parachute Brigade elite unit said he decided to continue his studies in 2015 to motivate his children while continuing his own pursuit of knowledge.
“My sons were in the midst of getting their degrees in architecture at that time, and I challenged them to complete their studies before I got my PhD, which they did.
“I have always believed in lifelong learning. Education never stops, even in your 70s.
“We must keep learning and thinking so that our minds stay active,” he told reporters during Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s (UTM) 69th convocation ceremony here yesterday.
Kamarul Azman said that after retiring from the army in 1988, he decided to pursue a degree and later founded his own motivational company.
“I got my degree in social science from Universiti Sains Malaysia and set up a company that provides motivational talks to companies and university students.
“I then decided to continue my studies and got my Master’s in Human Resources from UTM, and later a PhD in Counselling and Psychology, so that I can become a better motivational speaker.
“I took the course as I believe that motivational talks help keep a person’s spirit alive, but counselling can touch the heart,” he said.
The father of four and grandfather of 15 said his supervisors and family were his biggest supporters who kept his spirits high.
“There were times when I almost gave up, but my supervisors and family encouraged and helped me get through it.
“My children and grandchildren also helped me a lot, especially with technology,” he said.
Kamarul Azman added that he hopes his success will motivate others to always keep learning.
“When you face challenges, don’t run away. Face them gracefully, because that’s how you grow and progress,” he said.
Also not allowing age to get in the way was 67-year-old Dr Abdul Hakim Arifin, who hails from Flores in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.
Abdul Hakim, who obtained his PhD in Arabic Philosophy, said he moved to Malaysia to continue his studies at UTM about eight years ago.
“My wife is from Pakistan. She and our children were in Pakistan while I was pursuing my PhD here.
“For me, being away from my family is the biggest sacrifice I had to make when I chose to continue learning.
“However, it did not stop me, as I strongly believe in the importance and significance of knowledge,” said Abdul Hakim, who speaks Malay, English and Urdu.
While completing his PhD, he also worked as a temporary teacher in Rembau, Negri Sembilan.
“I hope to continue sharing the knowledge I have gained through lectures and classes,” he said.
Kamarul Azman and Abdul Hakim were among 732 graduates who obtained their PhDs during the ongoing six-day UTM convocation ceremony, which began on Saturday.
