MELAKA: Abandoned as a baby, raised by a foster mother and initially stateless, Rohana Abdullah has defied the odds for most of her life.
The 25-year-old, whose story moved Malaysians in 2022, has now earned a diploma in Computer Science from Universiti Teknikal Malaysia (UTeM).
She was offered the chance to pursue her tertiary education at the university under a scholarship as well as a full-funding initiative by Yayasan Tun Canselor UTeM for high-achieving students from underprivileged families.
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UTeM Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Massila Kamalrudin said Rohana’s journey to this moment was anything but ordinary.
“She was raised by Chee Hoi Lan, a kindergarten teacher, who became a national symbol of compassion for nurturing Rohana,” she said after the convocation ceremony here on Wednesday (Nov 5).
Previous media reports stated that Chee adopted Rohana when she was two months old.
Rohana’s Indonesian mother was a cleaner in a kindergarten where Chee taught.
When the child was abandoned, Chee became her foster mother and raised the girl as a Muslim.
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When Rohana turned 12, she could not get an identity card, although she was born in Malaysia and had a copy of her Malaysian father’s identity card. She even had to quit school at one point.
After Rohana’s story went viral on social media, then prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob directed the Home Ministry to look into the case.
Rohana, who had been applying for a MyKad since 2016, finally received it along with her citizenship certificate in April 2022.
She then continued her education in UTeM.
Prof Massila said Rohana’s adoption story captured nationwide attention and prompted widespread praise for Chee’s humanity and devotion.
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“Rohana’s stateless status once stood as the greatest obstacle in her pursuit of education.
“UTeM, in recognising Rohana’s perseverance, offered her a place to study alongside the university’s scholarship, providing full tuition coverage and a monthly allowance,” she said.
Prof Massila added that Rohana’s success reflected the mission of UTeM’s “Anak Emas” programme to empower deserving students from low-income families.
Meanwhile, Rohana, who graduated with an impressive cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.88, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the university.
“I am thankful to UTeM for the trust and opportunity given to me.
“This programme really eases the burden of students who excel academically but struggle financially,” she said, adding that her 87-year-old adopted mother was unable to attend the ceremony.
Rohana is now continuing her studies in the Bachelor of Computer Science (Software Development) with Honours course at UTeM.
