Dr Annuar (fitfh left, front row), Mastura (fourth left), Nasriman (sixth left) and others pose during a photo session.
SIBU: About 187,840 students in Sarawak have obtained loans totalling about RM4.5 billion from the National Higher Education Corporation Fund (PTPTN) since its establishment in1997.
According to Assistant Minister of Education and Technological Research Dr Annuar Rapaee, out of this number, 74,278 have started paying back.
“That means 69 per cent are on-going servicing their loan with PTPTN but sadly 31 per cent never make efforts to pay back at all,” he told thesundaypost yesterday.
Dr Annuar, who is also Assistant Minister of Housing and Public Health, was asked during the talk on the PTPTN issue from graduates’ perspective at Unimas, Kota Samarahan recently.
Among those present were PTPTN deputy chief executive (Policy & Operations) Mastura Mohd Khalid, PTPTN Sarawak office senior manager Yussuf Chik and Unimas Student Service Centre, Student Affairs & Alumni Office deputy registrar Nasriman Abdul Rahman.
The event, jointly organised by PTPTN and Unimas, attracted about 100 students and student leaders from both private and public higher learning institutions around Kuching. The Nangka assemblyman said the main objective was to get feedback from students on how PTPTN could have a better policy to help student to pay back their loans.
“The students have suggested that the state government through Yayasan Sarawak complement their loan from PTPTN so that they do not have to be totally dependent on PTPTN, and hence lessen their burden to pay back,” he pointed out.
“So, I have suggested for students to sit down again with me to fine tune their proposal to be brought up for state government for consideration,” Dr Annuar added.
“In general, students agreed that it is illogical to abolish PTPTN and also concurred that not paying back the loan will definitely jeopardise the next generation’s opportunity to go for tertiary education,” he said.
That aside, there was also discussion about the pros and cons of having free education.
Dr Annuar also expounded on the role of industries in creating jobs and recruiting students early and in investing in human capital as well.