NIBONG TEBAL: Imprisonment was no obstacle for cellmates Jep and Ken (not their real names) to pursue their Master’s degree with Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) here for the current session.
Jep, 36, has been accepted for the Master of Social Science degree programme while Ken, 34, for the Master of Art (Management) degree programme.
Jep is expected to be released from the Seberang Prai Prison in Sungai Jawi here in five months’ time while Ken will be released in 2021.
“We are grateful to have been admitted to USM for their Master’s degree programmes. We want to thank all those who made this possible, especially our family and the prison officials.
“Indeed, we made good of our time while in prison to pursue higher education, which is the most important thing in life.
“As cell mates, we studied together and applied for the Master’s degree programmes together. In fact, I was the one who had ‘hasut’ (instigated) him to do so,” Jep said when met at the prison today.
Both Jep and Ken received their offer letters from USM Institute of Postgraduate Studies deputy dean Associate Professor Dr Tay Guan Seng.
Jep, who obtained his first degree in political science while in prison, said it was his intention to make his family and his fiancée proud, after letting them down in the past.
“Being behind bars is not something to be proud of, but this somehow soothes the regret (I have).
“I had let them down in the past and I want to right the wrong. I want to make good of my future and help in my family business,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ken said he was on the verge of losing his self-confidence after being in prison for many years but decided to prepare himself well to return back to the society in 2021.
“I think for every prisoner, education should be their main focus. They should put their efforts to attaining that paper qualification to empower them with a different kind of opportunity in the future.
“For me, I just want to prove to the outside world that we (convicts) can be a part of and contribute to the society.
“Yes, we did something very wrong before but we hope the society won’t judge us based on that one day we did wrong, as we too have done good,” he said.
Jep, who hails from Kuala Lumpur, was imprisoned in 2012 while Ken, from Kedah, a year before. Both have since become good friends.
Ken, who also obtained his degree in business administration while behind bars, said he would have to study on his own once Jep is freed in five months’ time but hoped to see new faces joining him in the specially set up study room in prison.
He added that USM was their top choice when they applied.
Seberang Prai Prison senior assistant commissioner Husin Johari said they were proud to have inmates who were willing to go the extra mile to further their studies, and hoped Jep and Ken would serve as examples for other inmates.
On preparations for the duo, Husin said they prepared a special study room for Jep and Ken to study every working day from 8am to 4pm.
“They are also given internet access with supervision to enable them to carry out necessary research,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dr Tay said both Jep and Ken would be treated like normal students by the university.
He said both had chosen the research mode, which meant that they don’t need to be in campus at any time.
“They are accepted due to their respective qualifications. We will work together with the prison to render them with the necessary assistance,” he added.
Tay said USM initially was unaware that both were convicts when they applied for the Master’s degree programme online.
However, once they found out, they worked closely with the prison to facilitate the necessary process.