Whenever Azma Abdul Hamid hears the teachers she trains complain that they are too old to learn new technologies, she tells them: “Why don’t you ask me how old I am?” Most of the time, her students cannot believe that the 65-year-old teaches people how to use software.
“Everything is in your mind. I am a strong advocate of using technology in education,” said the Negeri Sembilan native.
Azma co-founded her educational technology company more than 20 years ago. With a PhD in education from Columbia University in New York, Azma develops online courses and conducts training for employees in the public and private sectors.
“I love teaching. When I was a child and we were playing in the kampung, I liked to play the role of a teacher because I like making people understand things,” she said.
With more than 10 employees under her belt now, Azma still takes time to travel across Malaysia and teach.
Passion for teaching
“The favorite part of my job is teaching and training people. Usually, they are all younger than me,” she said with a laugh.
Despite being single, Azma, who lives alone with a cat, was never an idle person, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. While many seniors were mentally affected due to isolation during the few months of the Movement Control Order, Azma was occupied with work.
During the pandemic, Azma’s business flourished as more companies took the approach of online learning to train employees.
“We (the company) suddenly became in demand, so I had to work harder than before during the COVID period. It was then that employers realized the value of technology in education,” she said.
Prior to starting a company, Azma was a lecturer at a public university and by a twist of fate, she landed in the educational technology industry.
“I worked for a Singaporean company for two years. It was the internet boom, and the company was making money from doing websites.
“Later, the company went bust, and they left Malaysia; but all the projects were given to me and another local colleague to take over, and that was the start of this company,” said Azma of the initial years.
South Pole expedition
Apart from being a successful entrepreneur, Azma is an active volunteer. Among the highlights of her voluntary work are supporting the Malaysia South Pole Expedition team in Punta Arenas, Chile, and the Malaysia North Pole Expedition in Svalbard, Norway.
Azma first worked with Sharifah Mazlina Syed Abdul Kadir, Malaysia’s first polar explorer, in 2007 when she needed a skilled volunteer in IT and communications equipment for her solo North Pole expedition.
After her success at the North Pole, Sharifah Mazlina approached Azma again in 2019 to support her and three other women on their South Pole expedition. Azma, who has a penchant for adventures, volunteered without hesitation.
“The expedition took two years of planning and training, and compared to the previous trip to the North Pole, this expedition was more challenging because there were four people instead of one,” said Azma.
Azma programmed all the communication equipment for the expedition team who did live feeds to the national radio station. While she did not go on the expedition with the rest of the team, she said that she was happy to support from the backstage.
“It feels good to know that you have helped other women succeed, and the training they go through to be an expeditor is not easy. They trained in Malaysia and Chile, learning to carry their own weight and equipment, these are strong women,” Azma said of the expedition.
North Pole humbling experience
While she described the South Pole expedition as the more technically challenging one, the North Pole expedition was an exciting yet humbling experience for a pious Muslim like her.
“Daylight was 24 hours there. I did not expect the sun to be up bright and sunny at 12 midnight!
“I mean how do we determine prayer times? Do we use Norwegian time or Malaysian time? In the end, we followed Malaysian time,” she said.
Azma and the other volunteer crew stayed in Svalbard, Norway, for 21 days, preparing Sharifah Mazlina for her North Pole expedition and were on standby while she started her solo journey.
With no plans to retire anytime soon, Azma spends most of her free time on philanthropy work. During weekends, she briskly walks in the park near her house and arranges for street feeding for the homeless or buying groceries to be given out to the people in need.
“I don’t like to waste time. At this age, my days are numbered, and while God still gives me good health, I want to make use of it as much as I can, and that includes charity work,” said Azma, who has been running a feeding program for the homeless for 12 years.
Azma’s piece of advice for everyone, regardless of age, is to stay positive. “Everything is in our mind; if we feel bitter and sad, the body will go through the same process, and vice versa,” she said. – Christine Cheah
