– 72-year-old defies odds as oldest student to graduate UG this year
IT was indeed a bittersweet, joyful occasion for Pamela Maison, who was the oldest to graduate from the University of Guyana (UG) at its recent 57th Convocation with a Master of Education in Literacy Studies.

The 72-year-old told Pepperpot Magazine that she started UG in 1998, but due to issues with qualified tutors for the courses at that time, she spent seven years before she could even graduate. Nevertheless, she pressed on and completed what she started.

In 1998, Maison said she enrolled for the two-year language education programme with the aim of graduating in 2000, but there was a lapse in the course.

However, she re-joined that programme in 2014 but was told that the course was no longer offered at UG. Still, she opted to finish by choosing another course, Literacy Studies.

Maison explained that the course got underway, and during the first year, there were issues finding qualified tutors, and time had again elapsed, after which the course finally concluded in 2021.

She added that she completed her thesis in 2020 and submitted it in 2021 but had to wait until 2023 to graduate because of some other issues.

In the end, Maison said she feels very good about herself for being able to succeed despite so many challenges, and she is also excited at the same time.

“It is one of my many dreams that came true, and it goes to show that age is not any hindrance to whatever you may want to pursue in life. Go for it. It may not happen in a hurry, but it surely will after some time,” she said.

Altogether, Maison described the experience as good, especially coming down to the end of the course. The last tutor was exceptionally good, and it made learning easy for her.

Because of her enduring spirit, she is now thinking of pursuing her PhD in education studies, and if it is not offered in Guyana, she is willing to go after it even overseas.

Maison told the Pepperpot Magazine that her family is fully supportive, which is all she needs now.

She, unfortunately, lost her husband, Prince Maison, last September. He was a journalist living in the U.S. She is also the mother of two and the grandmother of three.

Maison has been a resident of Kaikan Street, North Ruimveldt since the 1970s and has been teaching for more than 50 years.

Her teaching journey started when she was just 16 years old, after which she attended the Cyril Potter School of Education (CPCE) between 1976 and 1978 and became a qualified teacher.

She taught at Tucville School for many years, left as the Senior Mistress, and went onto South Ruimveldt Secondary School.

Maison recalled that South Ruimveldt Secondary School was termed “Ed Caesar’s School.” She explained that Caesar had a concept of a complex for that particular school where the nursery, primary and secondary, were housed in one compound. This eventually happened in 1997 when he was Chief Education Officer.

She remembered that Ruimveldt Secondary School started with just five students and today it has more than 600 learners on roll.

Maison retired from teaching in 2006 and is a part-time lecturer at CPCE. She stated that her contract as a lecturer has since been terminated; the reason given is that she is too aged.