Kota Kinabalu - Zelzy Shahar Al-Johary, 45, from Brunei Darussalam became the first foreigner to attain a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).

The lecturer from Universiti Brunei Darussalam told reporters after receiving his PhD Saturday that he was a full-time student at UMS and was doing a research on the influence of pedagogic knowledge, and other teaching training on teachers' programmes, The Borneo Post reported.

"I completed my research in three years, nearly four years. Like other countries, I feel that Brunei was also going through a transformation in its education sector and I feel it is time to research on the relevant programmes for teachers in the country," he said.

He added that he plans to return to Brunei and serves at the university where he worked as a lecturer.