KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians generally agree that repayment of National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loans is a responsibility, where accountability and justice must be fulfilled by its student borrowers.
Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Mohammad Yusof Apdal said the feedback was obtained from the Higher Education Open Day organised on Oct 23.
“Unfortunately, we are faced with an unfair situation where many students are not accountable and are irresponsible which means there must be fairness. Meaning, that they borrowed the money to study but when they became successful and secured a job, did not pay back the dues.
“So this creates a conundrum not only for PTPTN which has to bear a huge debt, but even worse, it robs others of the opportunity to pursue their studies,” he said when appearing as a guest on the ‘Ruang Bicara’ programme broadcast by Bernama TV tonight.
Therefore, he encouraged the public to attend the MADANI Government One Year Anniversary Programme at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium from tomorrow until Sunday, to seek consultancy services to manage PTPTN repayments in addition to getting a repayment discount of up to 15 per cent.
“The government has approved this discount from Oct 14, 2023, to March 31, 2024, but there are still many who have not taken up this opportunity. For students who make payments during the programme, there will be special gifts given in addition to the discounts.
“In addition to the PTPTN discount, the opening of SSPN accounts and deposit facilities will also be provided,” he said.
Regarding direct offers for admission to selected public universities, polytechnics and community colleges, Yusof said that Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) graduates who had not yet secured a place of study could head to the Ministry of Higher Education’s (MOHE) booth.
“Bring your identification card and a copy of SPM results for admission to Full-time Programme, Session II 2023/2024. Candidates who do not have SPM qualifications and are interested in continuing their studies are also welcome to attend the MOHE meeting.
“... because there, we have a programme under the Community College which we call the Lifelong Learning programme, this will also allow those who do not have the minimum qualification to get a second chance under the Community College programme,” he said.
Earlier, MOHE announced in a statement today that it will offer 24,500 placements at polytechnics, community colleges and Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) in conjunction with the MADANI Government One Year Anniversary Programme.
The offer covers 24,000 direct offers to diploma and certificate level programmes at selected polytechnics or community colleges, while there are another 500 places in five UiTM pre-diploma programmes for applicants mainly from the B40 group.
Meanwhile, Yusof also hoped that the public would come to enliven the programme, and especially visit the MOHE booth to enjoy the services and offers provided.
“We at MOHE hope that this programme will allow the people to know more about the efforts and initiatives implemented by the MADANI Government.
“Authentic sources of information are very important so that’s why, through programmes like this... we aim to get feedback from the people and they can meet face to face with the responsible ministries, departments and agencies so with this sharing (of information), we can develop this country together,” he said.–Bernama
