A few days ago, the world's oldest PhD researcher, Egyptian Fathi Ghanem, stood before a group of professors of commerce and business administration to discuss his doctoral thesis, raising the slogan "The teacher dies but the teaching continues." Ghanem, who is 83 years old, chose the title "Analysis of the Financial Dimensions of Transforming Football Clubs into Joint Stock Companies in Light of Relevant Standards" for his thesis, through which he obtained a PhD with honors.
The oldest PhD researcher in the world shared with "Sky News Arabia" the behind-the-scenes of obtaining his doctorate at this age, saying: "I have been working over the past years for this moment, as knowledge is always the measure of strength and happiness." Ghanem confirmed: "The delay in obtaining my degree was due to my travels to several countries over the years, until I decided to return and focus on education and obtaining academic degrees to be able to defend my doctorate."
Reflecting on his many years, the 83-year-old recounted: "My class was the first in Egypt to enter preparatory school. I completed both the preparatory and secondary stages, only to find myself, according to the coordination process, at the Faculty of Agriculture at Ain Shams University, from which I later transferred to the Faculty of Commerce at Ain Shams."
He added: "I applied for a diploma in accounting and auditing from the Faculty of Commerce at Cairo University before applying for a preliminary master's degree from the Faculty of Commerce at Benha University. However, at that time, travel was present, halting my dream of obtaining it."
Ghanem graduated from the Faculty of Commerce at Ain Shams University in the mid-1960s, received his preliminary master's degree from Benha University, and completed his master's in Financial Management before concluding his academic journey with a PhD in Business Administration from Helwan University.
The world's oldest PhD researcher stated: "I spent several years outside Egypt moving between a number of Arab and European countries such as Saudi Arabia and Libya, where I spent nearly ten years, and also America, Australia, and Germany. However, when I returned to Egypt, I found that my desire was to continue learning and what I had started before traveling."
The recent PhD graduate explained: "My mother always guided me to teach people as she made great efforts to educate me. Therefore, I decided to continue and obtain academic degrees to be qualified for that role, to stand as a teacher, and guide people towards knowledge."
Ghanem has decided to prepare for another doctoral thesis in the coming days, affirming, "As long as God has chosen to extend our lives even one more day, we must fill our minds with knowledge, benefit from progress, and never stop striving. I always keep in mind the saying of the great writer Taha Hussein that knowledge is like water and air."
He recalls with nostalgic feelings his late wife, who passed away about 30 years ago, and how she had a significant impact on his academic journey, constantly supporting him: "She was the love of my life; she never hesitated to stand by me and create an environment for reading and learning. I feel that she lives beside me and rejoices in my steps over the past years."
Ghanem sent a message to the youth in Egypt, saying: "Pursue education because it is beneficial for the human mind and is not linked to age, place, or time."
