61 old father and grandfather obtained Executive Masters’ from UMP

Mohamed Hamdan A Aziz, 61, thirst for education has never ceased to fade, the burning yearning perhaps stemmed from not being able to pursue his studies when he was younger because their livelihood only depended on his father who was a rubber tapper.

The father of four and grandfather of nine is now a proud holder of the Executive Master in Safety, Health and Environment, a dream realised when he was presented with the scroll at Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) 13th Convocation Ceremony held on November 10 and 11, 2018.

Mohamed Hamdan, who is an occupational safety and health officer with a construction company, described his success as ‘paying a debt to himself’.

“I could not afford to further my studies when younger because of poverty but the desire to have a Masters’ degree was triggered when I have a job and my own income, and I challenged myself to make my dream a reality.

“Before pursuing my studies, I have asked one of my children to pursue a Masters’ degree but it was declined and the reason given was too tired to study again.

“And so I thought if my children did not want to continue their studies, why not just the father do so,” he said.

Mohamed Hamdan, who is from Johor Bahru, Johor, also dedicated the degree to his wife, Rohani Mohamad, 61, saying it was a gift to her.

He said his wife never failed to motivate and encourage him to not to give up, adding, she understood the need for him to attend classes every weekends for the last two years.

“It turns out not to be easy actually because I need to follow the fast pace of the young people. I cannot be timid, instead I need to be at par with them in order to gain knowledge,” he said.