By: Azman Zakaria
Photo by: Creative Media Section & Corporate Visibility
SERDANG, March 21: The motivation he often gave to teachers to pursue their studies to the level of doctor of philosophy (PhD), has unknowingly become a ‘charm’ to Dato’ Dr. Kamarlin Ombi to achieve the goal himself, and today he successfully attained a PhD degree at the age of 62.
Dato’ Dr. Kamarlin, a former teacher from Beauford, Sabah, a former Beauford District Education Officer, and a former Sipitang District Education Officer, received his PhD from the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Pro-Chancellor, His Royal Highness Tengku Amir Shah Ibni Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, at Session 3, UPM 45th Convocation Ceremony here.
Dato’ Dr. Kamarlin said when he worked as a teacher, he always urged teachers who have a Post-Degree to further their studies to a Master’s and then to PhD level.
“The motivation that I gave eventually challenged myself. I needed to prove that I could achieve a PhD when we asked others to do it; we should also be able to do it,” he said.
As a former State Assemblyman (ADUN) for Lumadan for two terms started in 2008, former Sabah Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, and now Sipitang Umno Division Head, he said the main challenge in his PhD studies was that time management must be done well, especially because a part of his time was devoted to politics.
“I need to make time for studies, politics, family and myself. The commitment and determination must always be strong, especially to study after the age of 60,” he said while accompanied by his wife, Datin Saridah Abdullah, and all his six children at the convocation ceremony.
As a politician with an educator’s heart, he said the PhD he owns now would give him the confidence to motivate more teachers to further their studies to a higher level.
“Knowledge is very important, especially to become a leader,” he said.
