Single mum returns to school at 40 at the same polytechnic as her teenage son

Sharifah Radhia returned to school at 40, spending a year studying at Temasek Polytechnic alongside her 18-year-old son Muhammad Abbas. Though in different courses, they supported each other through the shared challenges of assignments and exams.

Sharifah Radhia and her son Muhammad Abbas spent a year studying on the same campus at Temasek Polytechnic, sharing the similar experience of navigating assignment deadlines and exam stress. (Photo: Eveline Gan)

At a polytechnic graduation ceremony, most people are likely there to cheer on their children. For 18-year-old Muhammad Abbas, it was the other way around.

In May, the teenager sat in the audience as his mother, 40-year-old Sharifah Radhia, walked across the stage to receive her specialist diploma.

Watching the woman who already juggles multiple roles – as a single mother of three and a full-time operations manager – step onto the stage in her graduation gown filled Abbas with pride.