Education is a lifetime job — Mahathir

SERDANG: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has urged the public not to stop learning as education is a lifetime job.

The 93-year-old prime minister said if Malaysia wants to progress and be recognised as a fully developed country, the people must be fully educated.

He said today’s education was not only about learning history or literature, but more about learning new sciences that are revolutionising industry in the world.

“Even business is now affected by new technologies. Therefore, it is important for Malaysian youth to be trained.”

“So please do not stop learning, education is a lifetime job because what I knew when I graduated in 1954 is no longer relevant today.”

“We always want to move forward, and to move forward we need to develop new knowledge,” he said at Perdana University’s third convocation ceremony here yesterday.

The prime minister also urged the young people to learn about what was happening in the country, including in the political arena.

“It is not necessary for you to be totally involved in politics, but you should know what is happening in the country and at the very least, you should vote during election,” he added.

At the convocation ceremony, Dr Mahathir, who is also the founding Chancellor of Perdana University, was conferred the Honorary Doctor of Philosophy Degree for Global Peace and National Reconciliation, while his wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali was conferred the Honorary Doctor of Philosophy Degree for Women and Community Development.

This was the first time that Perdana University conferred the honorary degrees, which were the highest awards given by the university.

This year, a total of 82 graduates received their undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Medicine, Occupational Therapy and Bioinformatics, while 26 others received their certificates in Foundation in Science. – Bernama