Perak College of Technology’s (KTP) 8th Convocation, which was held at Impiana Hotel, Ipoh on Saturday, March 18, saw a total of 998 students graduating this year.
Among them was Diploma of Computer System graduate J. Joel Jabharajasingam, 26, who was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy (CP) since birth.
Since young he had difficulty studying but that did not deter him from obtaining his diploma scroll. He currently works as a sales assistant at a shopping mall in Ipoh and has done so for over a year. His mother, T. Cicilia, 51, said her son did not have any difficulty except taking notes during classes.
“He can read and think like a normal person but he has difficulty writing. As a CP sufferer, he will have a problem with muscle coordination. Joel has problem coordinating his right hand and left leg.
“Besides writing, he also can’t speak well. He can’t utter a word clearly as speech and language challenges may occur due to oral motor dysfunction,” said the mother of two.
Joel, the elder of the two siblings, graduated with a Cumulative Grade Points Average (CGPA) of 3.75. His ambition is to become an Information Technology Engineer.
“It’s sad to see my son being rejected at over 50 interviews. I had to accompany him during interviews to convince the interviewers to give him a chance to work for a month and they can decide whether to hire him or not later,” she added.
His father J. Joshua, 51, said he was overjoyed and grateful for his son’s achievement despite him not given a chance to work.
“My wife and I were worried when he entered college. But he never complained. His lecturers and friends have been very helpful to him,” he said.
Seow Si Xiang, 21, who was adjudged the best student, obtained a CGPA of 3.91 in Diploma in Computer Science. Seow said it is very important to maintain a good relationship with the lecturers.
“Apart from that, you really need to focus in class and revise all the notes given by the lecturers,” he said. Seow will pursue the same course at Quest University.
The ceremony was officiated by KTP chairperson HRH Raja Dato’ Seri Eleena Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah. Present was KTP Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ahmat Zamri Abdullah.
A total of 718 students graduated from Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia courses and 219 from courses offered through collaboration with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi MARA. The remaining were graduates of diploma courses offered by the college.
Nabilah Hamudin
