Law degree comes half century later
ISTANBUL
A 75-year-old Turkish pensioner managed to get his law degree from Istanbul University 57 years after his registration as part of the faculty.
Namık Ekşioğlu entered the Istanbul University Faculty of Law in 1962 but was expelled two years later because of his failure in two courses.
After completing his mandatory military service, he worked as a manager at an automotive firm for 22 years and at a domestic appliance company for 18 years.
In 2011, two years after his retirement, he decided to restart his law studies through an academic amnesty.
“I fell on difficult times. When at later ages you start losing memory and you should study harder for success. I probably had to read 100,000 or 120,000 pages of books,” Ekşioğlu told daily Milliyet on May 22.
As part of his internship, he worked at a courthouse for six months and at a law firm in the following six months. Finally, he got his lawyer’s license last week.
“If my health situation permits I want to work as a lawyer,” he said.
