For the 81-year-old Joseph Aheto, when he realised three years ago in 2022 that all his children had overtaken his level of education and were now professors, he decided to enroll at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) to pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA) Programme.
He obtained his first degree in Business Administration from the University of Ghana in 1978, according to a report published by the University of Cape Coast.
Not wanting to cite age, family responsibilities, or being a pensioner as a reason to discourage him, he decided to go back to school and pursue higher education.
He chose to pursue an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Small Enterprise Development Studies at the UCC, where one of his sons, Prof Denis Aheto, was the then Pro-Vice-Chancellor and currently the acting Vice Chancellor.
Thankfully, he successfully went through the programme, and got his son, Prof Dennis Aheto, the current acting Vice Chancellor, congratulating him at the 9th session of the 58th congregation of the university.
Speaking to the press, Mr Aheto said he was inspired to pursue further studies when he realised his two sons, who are both professors, had overtaken him.
“I feel very excited to have my own son graduating me,” Mr Aheto told the press after the graduation ceremony.
He said apart from the grace of God, which made this feat possible, his family, course mates, and lecturers also motivated him to push on.
“When I enrolled and commenced lectures, many of the younger students in my class were surprised and were laughing and mocking me. saying, ‘What at all does this old man want in life? But that didn’t deter me. I soldiered on, and now I have graduated,” he said.
According to him, no one should feel too old to go back to school, as learning remains a lifelong adventure.
Recounting his campus days, he said it felt uneasy in the initial months in the lecture halls.
“Sitting down for lectures for many hours proved very challenging, considering my age. I had pains in my foot and waist from the long hours of sitting. But after a few months, I adjusted to the system and gradually shrugged them off and moved on,” he added.
Mr Aheto, who was a class teacher in 1966 before relocating to Nsawam, urged all the graduates to concentrate on their life’s endeavour.
He advised the younger ones that “every student who is aspiring to be someone in the future should work hard.” Whatever you do, do it with resilience and hard work.
The acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof Denis Aheto, commended the tenacity and resilience of his father to pursue further studies.
He urged the younger ones to eschew the get-rich-quick syndrome and strive to pursue further studies.
“Age can never be a limit to education. Old age is about mindset. We need to re-conform as a society,” he added
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