Father finally gets degree at 43
PURSUING a bachelor’s degree while his eldest child was still in school was not an easy decision for Mohd Ali Razaei Arman.

With only a Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) certificate, he knew that as a working adult, he would need more than five years to graduate. It was not a commitment he could make.

The 43-year-old was finally able to fulfil his dream when he came across the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning for Access (APEL.A) pathway, which allows those working to use their experience to shorten the course of study.

He proceeded to enrol in a distance learning programme at Multimedia University (MMU), and received his Bachelor of Management (Hons) (Human Resource Management) scroll last year.

After just four years, Mohd Ali graduated with a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.52.

APEL.A, said the varsity in a press release, was introduced by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency in learning institutions nationwide to benefit working adults like Mohd Ali.

Rather than treating learning as something that everyone goes through at the same rate in the same way, the MQA’s decision to allow alternative methods of qualifying for higher education has paved the way for more Malaysians to participate in lifelong learning.

For adult learners like Mohd Ali, it’s a matter of taking one step at a time.

“I was inspired to further my studies because I knew, deep down inside, that I was capable of so much more than what I had been doing at the time.

“I wanted to grow so I secured the help of my mentor, who guided me every step of the way. Alhamdulillah, it worked out well,” he said, while encouraging fellow Gen Ys to pursue lifelong learning.

Furthering one’s studies in the Gen Z era is so much more convenient and flexible, he added.

“Education was very different when my generation went to school.

“Learning is so much easier now but you have to be committed,” he said.

Mohd Ali was among the panellists at the MMU “Embracing Change through Lifelong Learning” forum on Feb 29.

The forum, which broached the importance of lifelong learning particularly among working adults, was organised by the varsity’s Centre for Lifelong Learning and Educational Content Development (Lead) as part of a Lifelong Learning Carnival.

The other panellists were Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten) research fellow Prof Dr Abdul Karim Alias, and Open Learning training and professional development head Marsyitah Ismail.

In today’s market, Prof Abdul Karim said building a thriving and future-proof career lies in embracing lifelong learning.

The reason for this is that a major part of lifelong learning is about equipping students with transferable skills that can help them cope with the highly dynamic working environment, he said, adding that these transferable skills are critical thinking and problem-solving, innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship, self-directed learning, collaboration, communication, global citizenship, sustainability, and digital literacy.

These skills, he said, are requisite for individuals and organisations alike, as they are key to spotting and taking advantage of profitable opportunities.

According to Marsyitah, emotion self-regulation and hands-on experiential learning are crucial considerations in crafting syllabi for lifelong learning.
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PURSUING a bachelor’s degree while his eldest child was still in school was not an easy decision for Mohd Ali Razaei Arman.