In November 2018, Adam Zainal proudly tweeted about his grandmother receiving her Master’s degree in early childhood schooling. She turned into an eighty-three-year-old graduate, and the Internet applauded her fulfillment with 15,000 likes plus 27,000 retweets and shares of his put up.
Datin Siti Hendon Abdullah changed into satisfied to have a good time her commencement at Unitar, but she wasn’t about to rest on her laurels. The octogenarian has now placed the pedal to the metallic to pursue her Ph.D. in early youth schooling. The retired headmistress believes age isn’t any barrier in the pursuit of expertise, especially for a person with an insatiable thirst for understanding. And so late final 12 months, she signed up for her Ph.D. at a personal college in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. “Despite being in my 80s, I nevertheless revel in studying greater things, be it studying instructional books, magazines, or autobiographies. There is not any quit to training,” she says.
Working on her Ph.D. hasn’t been easy, especially because of her failing eyesight. “Reading important points kind is my largest venture, so I rely on my trusty magnifying glass to enlarge the words. Despite these hurdles, I sit up for lessons each week. I nonetheless pressure to college that’s 10 mins from domestic.” The brilliant grandmother-of-, who dedicates between one and four hours each day to research, says mastering has been made simpler thanks to technology.
She considers the Internet the finest invention considering sliced bread. “I love Google. This seek engine is my savior. Plus, it’s far more user-pleasant for people from various a while and walks of existence. I love how I can dig up information with a few clicks of the mouse. There also are digital libraries which permit me to take a look at from the consolation of home,” she says.
While she can be comfy trawling through the Internet now, her affair with technology didn’t begin on the proper foot. Some senior residents are intimidated by using generation and feature fears of navigating on small devices or complex menus on digital devices.
Some human beings term this as ‘geriatric technophobia’ where the elderly are skeptical approximately the advantages of an era.
“For the longest time, my 4 kids attempted to influence me to apply smart devices. I am by no means about those devices, questioning whether I could stay without them. But matters took a turn once I decided to in addition to my research in early childhood schooling,” Siti says. She jokes about her war to get familiar with programs like PowerPoint, Notepad, and Word. “It took weeks to discover ways to operate my pc. My grandkids had to jot down step-by-step instructions on paper for me. I can in no way overlook the many incidents when I didn’t store my paintings and needed to re-do everything from scratch,” she remembers.
Now that she’s versed in technology, she’s satisfied different seniors can also learn how to use clever gadgets and maneuver through serps on the Internet. “If I managed to analyze it in my overdue 70s, I’m sure other seniors can do it too. What’s wanted is confidence and determination. Don’t hesitate to invite your kids or grandchildren to guide you,” says the retiree from Johor.