Study Anywhere, Even in Prison
Recently, there was news of a former prime minister becoming a postgraduate in jail. It raised quite a few eyebrows and gave rise to many comments but it also highlighted a positive fact – it is possible to learn almost anywhere, including behind bars.
“In Kajang Prison, there are even those who have completed their master’s and PhD. Many people do not know this”, Home Minister, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, was quoted as saying by the Sin Chew online video production, Pocket Times.
This is so true. Since OUM began collaborating with the Prisons Department in 2009, a total of 21 prison inmates have graduated and another 29 are in hot pursuit. One of them is 37-year-old Alex (not his real name), who is currently undertaking PhD (Business Administration).
He is being detained at the pleasure of the Sultan of Selangor due to a criminal offence committed as a teenager. He doesn’t know if and when he will be released and 23 years have already passed.
But Alex hasn’t merely languished in prison. Instead, he has been using his time purposefully. He cleared his SPM, did his bachelor’s, passed his master’s and is now working on his PhD thesis, which is on the entrepreneurial intention of prison inmates.
“Everyone makes mistakes. I want to become a motivator to youngsters and encourage them to study and be a law-abiding person as they have no idea how it feels to become an inmate and to have that label etched on you forever,” said Alex.
Alex’s situation highlights a reality – education is valuable, even when you’ve hit rock bottom.
