Come August, Mary Dolly Pereira, 61, will realise her ambition of becoming a teacher. In conjunction with Teachers' Day on Friday, MOHD NOOR ASWAD writes about Mary's determination to fulfil her lifelong dream of becoming a teacher.

MARY Dolly Pereira had always wanted to be a teacher but unsuccessful attempts to be accepted as a trainee forced her to take a different career path.

Still, the desire to teach never left the 61-year-old mother of two. She is confident that, one day, her dream will materialise.

Mary’s persistence will finally be rewarded when she graduates in August with a degree in education after completing a three-year course in Bachelor in English majoring in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (Unitar) in Kelana Jaya, Petaling Jaya.

Bubbly Mary is looking forward to a teaching career. She has applied for a teaching position in Unitar.
“I can’t wait to teach. I have been harbouring this desire to teach since I was 16! After retiring, I did not want to just sit at home and watch television. I know that I can still contribute and I want to make my dream of becoming a teacher a reality,” she says, beaming.

Born in 1947 in India, Mary arrived in Malaysia with her family in 1953. They travelled extensively because her father was in the British army.

“I have been all over the country following my father’s postings with the British army. We moved from Ipoh to Taiping, Cameron Highlands, Kuala Lumpur and Penang before settling down in Sungai Petani.

“In Sungai Petani, I studied at Father Barre’s Convent from Form One to Form Five. It was one of the best times of my life. I love English classes the most. An hour of English class was simply not enough. I wanted the English class to go on,” she recalls.

Her interest in teaching was aroused during this time.

“Most girls in those days wanted to become teachers. Most of my classmates and seniors went for teacher training. I applied and went for the interview twice but I was not successful.

“My father told me to apply for other jobs in the civil service and that was how I ended up joining the Inland Revenue Board as a clerk.”

Her enduring fascination with teaching kept her going. While in government service, she would always check the newspapers for teaching opportunities.

“I would look through the newspapers to see if there were any TESOL courses available. Unfortunately, in those days not many TESOL courses were on offer but I didn’t give up.”

Retirement from the civil service in 2003 did not dampen her enthusiasm for teaching. She continued to scan the newspapers daily.

Then she chanced upon an advertisement placed by Unitar for candidates to enrol on a TESOL course.

The rest, as they say, is history.

She was initially worried that her age would be an obstacle. Her worry was baseless because Unitar accepts mature students.

To date, Unitar has 23 students above 50 years old and three students above 60 in various disciplines.

Unitar does not have an age limit for its students as it believes in lifelong learning.

Mary joined Unitar as a student in 2005 to pursue the three-year full-time degree programme.

Mary, who is now in her final year, is doing her teaching practical at the institution.

It is obvious that she is enjoying every minute.

“The teaching practical is a wonderful experience. I finally get to put into practice what I have learned. I get to share my knowledge and experience with the younger generation,” she says.

Mary likes the fact that Unitar’s Kelana Jaya campus is near her home.

That makes it easier for her to carry on her duties as a wife, mother and student.

Her family is very supportive of her decision to go back to school and she is very grateful for that.

“They backed my decision 100 per cent. My husband is my biggest supporter. He would drive me back and forth between home and classes.”

Being the oldest in class posed problems initially.

“My course-mates needed time to adjust and get used to me. I am a mother, so I know how to make them accept me.”

Mary did not have problems with her studies except when it came to computers.

“When I was in the civil service, we didn’t use computers to do our work. Thankfully, my sons patiently walked me through the whole process. When I have computer problems at Unitar, I would ask my fellow students for help and they are more than happy to oblige,” says Mary.

Her experience in Unitar has also made Mary more confident.

“I used to be shy but I am now more confident speaking in front of a group of people.”

Mary looks back on her experience at Unitar with fondness and gratitude.

“I am forever grateful to Unitar for giving me the chance to pursue my dream.

“I am so happy I have achieved something amazing at this age. Finally, I have the chance to make my dream a reality!”