HE'S 76 AND STILL IN SCHOOL
People, our greatest treasure. NICHOLAS FANG speaks to three Singaporeans who are intent on improving the quality of their lives - by going back to work and school
Make it 80, says Mr Antony Joosa. Or 85. The retirement age can go up a lot more, he says. Old folk have a lot to contribute.
He should know. He didn't sit back at 60. Now 76, he is still working - as an administrator in a shipping company - AND attending his third and final year of a computer technology course.
"I want to keep working and studying for 20 more years at least, if God gives me the strength and health to do so."
In his class of 28, at Institute of Technical Education Macpherson, he far exceeds the average age of 30.
Said his teacher, Madam Fan Siew Yin, 41, who has been with the ITE for 15 years: "He is by far the oldest student I have ever taught, but he is very attentive and hard-working and always tries to apply what he learns in class."
Mr Joosa learns basic programming and repairing of computer hardware.
"I keep up with my homework every day and still put in a full day at work. My boss understands I have to attend classes most nights and lets me leave at the same time each day."
He got his GCE O levels in 1941.
Forty-six years later, at age 66, he returned to class to study for his National Trade Certificate 3, then NTC 2.
He hopes to study engineering at Nanyang Technological University one day.
"When computers started to become popular 10, 15 years ago, I decided to learn about them. I was a production planner and computers were going to be important. Now they are even more important," said Mr Joosa, who has six children and 15 grandchildren.
His classmate, Mr Raymond Lee, 37, said: "We nominated him as our class rep because he is the oldest and he does a good job, always helpful and efficient."
His plans after the course? "I hope to open a small lab and start a business repairing computers," said Mr Joosa, whose wife died four years ago. "If we make ourselves useful and keep improving, we will never feel old."
People today are affluent. But the poverty of Singapore in the 60s was a sight to remember, recalls ex-Cabinet Minister Lim Kim San:
"Some will work at night and others in the daytime. So when the one who works in the daytime is out, the one who works at night sleeps in the bunk. And I came across one with a blanket right up to his neck and I told him 'Are you sick? You are covered with blanket?' He says 'No, I've got no pants on.' I asked 'Why?' He says 'My other brother has just taken my pants out. I'm wearing briefs.' You see how poor they were. They had to share."
Next: The people test
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