Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's wife Rosmah Mansor was today conferred an honorary doctorate in early childhood education from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI).

NONE The award, intended as a recognition to her work with early childhood education through Permata, was presented to her by newly-minted UPSI chancellor Tuanku Zara Salim, who is also Perak crown princess.

In her acceptance speech, Rosmah ( left ) said the award will be a catalyst for her to continue her social work under Permata which has now expanded to include teenage education.

"I dedicate this to all those who have been involved in the creation and execution of Permata programmes, to the teaching force and beloved children under Permata.

"I also dedicate this to my loving husband, children and family for their support. To UPSI, this award will not be forgotten and will remain in my heart until the end," she said during a ceremony at UPSI in Tanjung Malim this afternoon.

NONE The event today was to mark the appointment of Tuanku Zara ( right ) as UPSI chancellor, which took effect at the start of this year.

The last award received by Rosmah was in US in early March, when the Stevens Institute of Technology conferred her their 'Distinguished Service Medal'.

Prior to that in she received an honorary doctorate of letters which was granted by Curtin University, Australia, which courted some controversy .

Among other awards she has received were an honorary doctorate of innovation in human capacity development from Lim Kok Wing University and an honorary doctorate in education from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).

The award from UPSI, Rosmah said, was nostalgic as the institution was where the Permata programme first started.

“Today, we observe how much Permata has expanded, with 624 Permata care centres nationwide,” she said.

Describing the programme as only the beginnning, Rosmah said Permata has expanded with special focus on educating talented children in the arts and also education for gifted children.

It has also began forming a camp programme to help troubled teenagers, she added.