JOHOR BARU: Age is not a barrier for 70-year-old Abdul Rahim Ramli (pic) who finally received his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Urban and Regional Planning after six years of hard work.

       The father of three decided to pursue his PhD after he started working as a part-time lecturer at the Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).

       “I was invited to teach as a part-time lecturer in UTM in 2016 after retiring from the civil service as a town planning technician.

       “When I was teaching, I saw that all of the other lecturers around me had PhDs and I told myself that I must get one too.

       “It wasn’t easy, especially for someone my age who sometimes suffer from health problems. I am glad that I could finally make it,” he said, adding that he is diabetic and has high blood pressure.

       The grandfather of 10 credits his family, especially his wife, for being his pillar of strength.

       “I could not have done it without them. My wife even tagged along with me during fieldwork and was by my side throughout my journey to get the PhD,” he said.

       Abdul Rahim is among 8,956 UTM students who are graduating this month. The convocation ceremony which started yesterday is expected to go on until Dec 18.

       Of that number, a total of 812 graduates are international students from 54 countries.

       The graduation ceremony yesterday was officiated by Johor Permaisuri Raja Zarith Sofiah Almarhum Sultan Idris Shah, who is UTM’s chancellor.

       In her speech, the Permaisuri told the graduates to remember the deeds of their parents who had made a lot of sacrifices for them.

       “Appreciate them, cherish them and attend to your parents’ needs as long as they live as a show of gratitude for their never-ending sacrifices, education, guidance, advice and love,” she said.

       The ceremony also saw the appointment of Tunku Mahkota Johor’s wife Che’ Puan Besar Khaleeda Bustamam and Prasarana Group Malaysia chairman Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim as UTM’s new pro-chancellors.

       Also present were Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad and Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad.