A wish come true for 73-year-old grandmother Sundre Sadu Singh who finally graduates.
A wish come true for 73-year-old who finally receives her scroll
GEORGE TOWN: Age is never a barrier for Sundre Sadu Singh, 73, who became the oldest graduate at Wawasan Open University ( WOU) this year.
She had to forgo her wish to go to university when she was younger due to financial constraints.
To prove that one is never too old to keep learning, the single mother of four children and six grandchildren started on a part-time programme at WOU in 2007.
She graduated on Saturday with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Liberal Studies.
Sundre said she had always dreamt of pursuing tertiary education after completing her Form Five, and it was her late mother’s wish for her to go to university.
“This degree is for her. I want to pursue my Masters in Education and teach children for free,” she said after the graduation ceremony at Hotel Equatorial Penang.
Sundre lost her husband when she was in her late 20s, and met with an accident in 1983 that scarred her face.
Despite the setbacks, Sundre gave tuition lessons in Kuala Lumpur and started a real estate business in 1978, which she still runs.
She also operates a cleaning company, a tuition centre for underprivileged children and helping at an orphanage in Kuala Lumpur as well.
Asked whether she found it weird being the eldest in her class, Sundre said she felt inspired seeing those younger than her study.
“Even at my age, it is possible to seek education and it can be enjoyable,” she added.
The ceremony also saw Wong Tien Nam, 20, collecting a posthumous award on behalf of his late father Vic Tor, who graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering.
The 47-year-old passed away in May after suffering a heart attack.
Tien Nam said his father decided to pursue a part-time degree about three years ago as he felt times had changed and his diploma was no longer sufficient.
“My father wanted to learn more about software engineering as he was an IT programmer.
“He did not have a heart condition but he had not gone for a medical check-up in a while,” said Tien Nam.
He added his father was an avid cyclist and was training for an event when he succumbed to heart attack on Labour Day.
“He was then planning to go for a full medical check-up a few months later,” Tien Nam said.
He said he had seen his father taking notes and studying the past two years.
“He used to show us his notes although we could not read his handwriting. I am very proud of my father,” he said.