KOTA KINABALU: The government should consider converting the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loans into scholarship, said Penampang member of parliament Darell Leiking.
Leiking said the time has come for both the federal and state governments, especially Sabah, through the Sabah Foundation to convert the loans into scholarship since those who graduated are the pride of the nation.
“I believe PTPTN and the Sabah Foundation scholars are now in Sabah and are serving the nation as good citizens. We might as well assist them all provided they are in Sabah and Malaysia after graduating.
“Of course, one of the conditions should be for them to be at the nation’s call whenever needed to contribute their field of expertise even when they are working in the private sector, although we would want them to serve the nation in the public service if there are vacancies immediately after graduation, but the reality is that most will not be absorbed into the civil service as there would be no vacancies.
“So, if they are not in the public service, then these graduates should still provide their expertise to the nation, especially once their loans have been converted into a scholarship,” he said.
On the Central Credit Reference Information System (CCRIS) or Credit Tip Off Service (CTOS), Leiking said he was against blacklisting the defaulters there and proposed as a way of rehabilitating the situation, to having dialogues with them instead.
“We cannot possibly make them suffer as they are now products of good education and part of our nation building.
Also, CTOS is a private agency and it has no business dealing with cases like this as the updates by CTOS have been questioned many times, especially after one had settled all debts but records showed otherwise or of the past.
“There is no responsible mechanism that ensures that the rehabilitated defaulters’ records will be expunged from CTOS,” he said.