| Education
Never too old to learn; Ramgopaul graduates at 70!
A farmer from Trinidad will today graduate from Edinburgh Napier University with a Masters of Business Administration
– at the age of 70.
amgopaul Roop achieved
academic success even though
his parents Poyah and Roop
Bataw cou ld not read or write.
Ramgopaul – who had seen
his three children study to
degree level and beyond – fulfilled his ambition
by combining full-time work on his smallholder
farm under the blazing tropical sun with long
nights of study, sometimes until sunrise.
His dedication paid off when he was
awarded an MBA with Distinction.
He said: “This being the last chance on the
last train, the only option was to sit tight and
hold on.”
He added: “The past 32 months have been
very challenging but stimulating. It shows there
is no age limit to academic achievement and
personal professional development.”
Ramgopaul – who is regional administrator
of the Caribbean Agribusiness Association –
studied online at Edinburgh Napier, one
module per trimester.
He was supported by his wife Beena, who
read and re-read drafts, and even the family
dog, Coco, who had a special bed made up in
R
32 | Farming Monthly | July 2017
Ramgopaul’s study.
The farmer completed his studies last
autumn but was unable to travel from the West
Indies to Edinburgh for the ceremony as it
clashed with his commitments at the Caribbean
Week of Agriculture in the Cayman Islands, so
he is receiving his degree at this summer’s
graduations instead.
In the intervening months, he has used
research from his MBA dissertation to help
develop a policy framework for the cassava
industry – a 21st century multi-purpose crop
thought to have the potential to transform the
economy of the Caribbean.
Soil and water management techniques on
his farm which can pave the way for intensive
vegetable and tree crops production were also
praised as “a diversification dream” in his
submission to the 2017 Global Contest on
Sound Solution in Farming for Biodiversity.
Ramgopaul said: “The skills acquired in
writing assignments and my dissertation are
now being applied in my everyday activities.”
Ramgopaul had been introduced to the work
of the university by Southpoint Education
International, which supports online, distance
degrees offered by Edinburgh Napier.
Mammed Bagher, Director of MBA
Programmes at Edinburgh Napier, said:
“Ramgopaul’s achievement is testament to our
ethos of education for all, regardless of age or
social background.”
“The past 32 months have been very
challenging but stimulating. It shows there
is no age limit to academic achievement
and personal professional development”
He added: “Our global online suite of MBA
programmes is suitable for learners who are
unable to take part in the traditional classroom
environment. We are continuously investing in
our online staff and student community so all
our learners feel very much part of the wider
university network without physically being
present.”
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