60-Year-Old From Bahrain Eager To Study PhD In USM

GEORGE TOWN (Penang, Malaysia), Sept 8 (Bernama) -- Age is no barrier for someone to achieve greater success in education and based on that philosophy, a 60-year-old pensioner from Bahrain Monday was among 655 students who enrolled for a doctorate degree (PhD) at University Sains Malaysia (USM), here. Putting his lifelong learning concept to practice, Abdul Wahab Yusuf Al-Jawder, a retired educator, said senior citizens like him should not limit themselves to do the same activities because there were many more new things to be learnt and there was nothing more valuable than knowledge. "Age is just a number rather than an excuse not to further education and I always believe I am still capable to contribute something to the society," he told reporters when met at the welcoming ceremony of new postgraduate students here Monday. The father of three daughters said he wanted to do research about the representation of women in politics and provided a way that would positively affect women in that field, especially in Bahrain. "I choose to study here because Malaysia is a multi-cultural nation where everyone is united in a country...its really amazing," he said adding that this was the first time he came to Malaysia. Meanwhile, USM Vice-Chancellor Dr Omar Osman said a total of 2,506 students, including 561 international students were offered to further their studies at postgraduate level. -- BERNAMA