Olympia confirms Kamalanathan’s degree
Although Kamalanathan’s actual student record was no longer available, Tan Chee Seng, the school’s academic director, said he remembers Kamalanathan and confirmed that he did an external course in communications, majoring in public relations, with Edith Cowan University (ECU), Australia.
By Yow Hong Chieh and Syed Jaymal Zahiid
KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 — Olympia College confirmed today that P. Kamalanathan was a registered student at the college and had completed his course successfully.
Although Kamalanathan’s actual student record was no longer available, Tan Chee Seng, the school’s academic director, said he remembers Kamalanathan and confirmed that he did an external course in communications, majoring in public relations, with Edith Cowan University (ECU), Australia.
He explained that Olympia College only processed one batch of students with ECU before both sides decided to terminate the programme in 2004.
“The numbers did not pick up so both sides decided that we should not have [any] additional intake,” Tan said.
He said Kamalanathan was offered advanced standing by the university, meaning he was exempted from certain course units, as he had obtained professional qualification from the Institute of Public Relations Malaysia prior to registering for the course.
He added that universities sometimes kept separate registers for off-campus students and that might explain why a search of the ECU alumni roll turned up nothing.
“Sometimes universities distinguish between home students who are running on campus versus programmes that they do offshore or off-campus. So sometimes they might maintain two registers,” said Tan.
