Dr. David Margot is the oldest person to graduate from Kingston University and obtain a master’s degree (social media sites)

A 95-year-old man has broken the university record for being the oldest person to graduate from Kingston University, southwest London, in the United Kingdom, by recently obtaining a “Master’s” degree, and is preparing to enroll for a “PhD.”

With Dr. David Margot, a retired psychiatrist, obtaining a master’s degree in modern European philosophy, he breaks the previous record of 93 years, which was recorded in 1994.

British newspapers reported that “Dr. Margot, who lives in Surrey, southeastern England, completed his final studies 72 years after qualifying as a doctor, as changes in the psychiatric industry in the United Kingdom over the years encouraged him to return to education, to understand more about philosophy, and how it can Its application in the modern profession.

Margot said in press statements, “I knew that time was limited, so when I saw an advertisement for a training course in the Times Literary Supplement for a course local to me, I decided to apply. The staff and students at Kingston University were very helpful with me. It was a wonderful course and the teaching was excellent, so “It was an honor for me to receive this degree and to be part of this wonderful university.”

Dr. Margot, accompanied by his son and son-in-law on the day of his graduation, received a great welcome from his peers and the audience when he crossed the stage and received his diploma from the Dean of Kingston University, Professor Helen Lavelle.

Dr Margot advised those considering returning to education after decades of absence: “It's a bit of a gamble, but the main thing is if you're interested, do it. It was hard work, and my memory isn't quite what it used to be, but I was lucky.” "With world-class teachers, it was a very positive experience. I think it's always important to keep challenging yourself even as you get older."

The university said in a statement, “After 65 years of marriage, Dr. Margot’s wife died a few years before the outbreak of the Corona virus pandemic, and the master’s course was important for him to keep his mind busy during this time.”

Dr. Margot, who is 95 years old, is one of the oldest graduates in the United Kingdom ever, while 96-year-old Archie White holds the current record after graduating from the University of Brighton in 2021.

Dr Margot, who qualified as a doctor in 1952, is now considering applying for a part-time PhD, which he will finish at the age of 102.

Kingston University is located in the Kingston upon Thames area, southwest of London. It was opened under the name Kingston Technical Institute in 1899, and was granted university status in 1992.

The university includes many colleges that teach architecture, fine arts, design, social sciences, law, commerce and business, mathematics, computer science, civil engineering, surveying, health sciences, chemistry, biology, pharmacy, environmental sciences, and others.

Elderly people who love science

There are many stories of struggle written by elderly people around the world to return to school and obtain certificates, and among these stories comes the story of Haj Abdul Qadir Abu Ajamiya (82 years old), who joined the History Department at the Faculty of Arts at Hebron University in 2017.

After about 70 years of interruption, Abu Ajamiya decided to return to school in 2014 as a regular student alongside students of his grandchildren’s ages, on his way to pursuing the dream of completing his education, which had accompanied him for decades.

Palestine Hebron September 2017 Palestinian Abdul Qader Abu Ajamiya, at the age of 82, preparing to enter university (Al Jazeera)

Abu Ajamiya was able to successfully pass the high school exam at Al Hussein School in the city of Hebron in the south of the West Bank. The Palestinian Ministry of Education honored him and provided him with a scholarship to complete his university education.

In 2018, a 76-year-old Palestinian man from Umm al-Fahm obtained a doctorate in jurisprudence from the Faculty of Sharia at the University of Jordan.

Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave.


An elderly Palestinian from Umm al-Fahm, 76 years old, obtains a doctorate in jurisprudence from the Faculty of Sharia at the University of Jordan pic.twitter.com/NSw0nhINNk

- Palestine Dialogue Network (@paldf) November 19, 2018

From Palestine to the United States of America, comes the story of the elderly Merrill Pittman Cobb, who achieved his life’s dream at the age of 101 by obtaining a high school diploma in Jefferson County, West Virginia, in 2022.

Cooper attended Storer College from 1934 to 1938, where he studied various subjects, including Latin, biology, and history, before financial reasons forced him to drop out and move the family to Philadelphia in his senior year.

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But with the support of his family, he decided to fulfill his dream and receive an honorary diploma in a special ceremony on March 19, 2022.

The story of another American elderly person, 83 years old, who obtained his high school diploma in San Jose, California, in 2009 after enrolling in an independent study program, offered by the Adult Education Program.

The American newspaper San Jose Mercury News quoted Frank Ganz as saying that seeing his grandchildren graduate from universities prompted him to seek a high school diploma despite his advanced age. Ganz explained that although he had left school since he was in the ninth grade, he had become someone who stressed the importance of education when it came to his 12 grandchildren.

In the same year, a 96-year-old Taiwanese man named Chow Mu-hee obtained a master's degree in philosophy from Nanhua University in southern Taiwan, where he was known among his colleagues as "Grandpa Chow."

In India, a seventy-year-old man from Hrawikaon village in Champhai district in Mizoram showed that age is not a barrier when it comes to education.

Laringthara, a 78-year-old man, commutes 3 km daily to attend class at Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan High School, wearing a school uniform and carrying a bag full of books, to fulfill his long-cherished dream of completing his education.

In 2019, Indian Raj Kumar Vaishya, a 97-year-old man, obtained a master’s degree in economics from Nalanda Open University.

Source: Al Jazeera + British press