Never to old for education: 98-year-old awarded post-graduate degree in Economics

New Delhi: Anyone who keeps stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.

These words by Henry Ford have inspired many to lead lives where learning and education never cease – despite their growing years. One such person is right here in Patna where a 98-year-old man was awarded a post-graduate degree by Nalanada Open University recently.

Decades after graduating from Agra University – in 1938, Raj Kumar Vaish had enrolled in MA (Economics) in 2015 and completed his course in September this year. He was awarded his degree by Meghalaya Governor Ganga Prasad at the 12th annual convocation of NOU. Vaish had previously also done his LLB in 1940 but reportedly could not complete his post graduation because he got a job as a law officer in Christian Mica Industry at Koderma

 His determination to return to studies and that he managed to complete the course has made Vaish’s son visibly proud. “I am very proud of him. I think this is a message for the young generation that there is no age for learning. Even my wife supported him. I have retired but his achievement inspires me,” said Santosh Kumar, a retired professor of National Institute of Technology (NIT), Patna.