MALACCA: After completing her Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia, then 19-year-old Fatihah Zamri decided not to pursue her studies any further, especially since she did not have friends who were continuing their studies either.
Her mother Surawati Rahimin, 46, was confident that a tertiary education would provide her with better career opportunities and attempted to persuade her, to
no avail.
Then Surawati was struck with an idea.
“I thought why not study with Fatihah? She was surprised and initially in disbelief at my suggestion.”
However, the thought of having her mother study with her motivated Fatihah to pursue the same course as Surawati, which was a bachelor’s degree in business administration, majoring in finance at Universiti Teknologi Mara in Malacca.
“I became excited at the prospect of studying with my mother. We are like best friends, so I was happy when she said she wanted to be a student again. I realised I would not have to study alone and would not get bored either,” she said.
For Surawati, stepping back into the world of education in her late 40s was quite challenging as she had other commitments as well.
“Balancing work and family commitments while pursuing an education was not easy but we supported each other mentally and physically.”
As a mother of six who also works as an accounts assistant, she said she faced constraints in completing assignments on time.
“Even finding regular hours to study was difficult but I managed to divide my time properly so that I would not fall too far behind. And thanks to Fatihah, we could study together at home.”
Fatihah recounted that as a habit, she called her mother “ibu” (mother) even on campus and in lecture halls, which caught the attention of other students and lecturers who were curious and surprised to see the mother and daughter studying together.
When the duo attended their convocation on Nov 19, Surawati offered some advice and said: “Not everyone gets the chance to study, especially at a late age. If you do, take it. Knowledge is important, no matter how old you are, so do not waste opportunities that come along as your future will be brighter with a good education.
“As Mahatma Gandhi once said: ‘Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever’.”
She said her educational journey was not just about challenging herself but also about inspiring
her daughter.
Fatihah said the experience of having her mother as a fellow student made her realise that life’s greatest lessons are often learned through the ones you love most.
“Graduating with my mother goes beyond happiness. In the four and a half years of our studies, we struggled through thick and thin, and finally our hard work and effort have paid off.”
