Obtaining your Masters, All the way from Prison.

By Nisshanthan Dhanapalan

Anyone who wishes to make something better for their lives, deserve a second chance. For two inmates from Kajang Prison, graduating with a Master in Business Development during Open University Malaysia’s (OUM) 20th Convocation ceremony held on 30 April at Dewan Tunku Canselor, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, it was a dream and hoped that they too will better themselves and integrate back into society.

Mat (not his real name), one of the two inmates that received their scrolls, is currently serving a sentence in Kajang Prison when he was charged with murder in 2001. When he was asked how he felt about his graduation, Mat expressed happiness and gratitude especially to the people who helped him achieve his master’s degree. “I am very happy with today’s success in receiving my master’s degree. I hope that I will be able to pursue my studies further by enrolling into a Doctor of Philosophy course (PhD),” he said. He was joined by his family who flew in from Sabah for the convocation. There was an emotional moment during the reunion as Mat last saw his family ten years ago. According to the Director of Kajang Prison, Datuk Narander Singh, the Malaysian Prisons Department will continue to offer support and aid to prisoners who want to pursue their education, even up to higher education.He said that inmates' activity schedule will also be reviewed to suit their education needs.

“If they are given a chance to further their studies in prison we believe that we can reduce the risks of prisoners reoffending and Kajang Prison has proven that the chances once reoffending after release is much lower,” said Narander. On the other hand, Vice-President of Academics OUM, Professor Dr Sha’ari Abd Hamid said that the cost of study for Mat to pursue his PhD will be borne by the university.

OUM has been collaborating with The Malaysian Prisons Department since 2008 to provide programmes to inmates who have completed their studies at its prison school, Sekolah Integriti Kajang. The programmes offered include Diploma in Management (DIM), Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and Master of Business Administration (MBA). To date, 45 inmates have enrolled in OUM programmes.

The convocation in Kuala Lumpur saw nearly 600 graduates receiving their scrolls including two who received their doctoral degrees. This year, OUM decentralised its convocation to six locations where five more convocation ceremonies will be held across the country on 6 and 13 May for the convenience of graduates and their families. The other locations are Kuala Terengganu and Kota Kinabalu on 6 May as well as in Melaka, Seberang Jaya and Kuching on 13 May.  More than 3,400 learners, including 174 international learners from Vietnam, Ghana and Somalia, will receive their scrolls.  The ceremony at the Melaka International Trade Centre on 13 May will see the graduation of the university’s oldest learner, Krishnan Arunasalam, 83, who will be graduating with the Bachelor of Accounting with Honours degree.