Fazzrudin: S’wakian students who have paid 30 pct of PTPTN loan can benefit from state govt collaboration with Yayasan Sarawak

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Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman

KUCHING (Mar 5): Over 9,000 Sarawakian students, who are National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loan borrowers, can benefit from the state government’s 30 per cent discount through Yayasan Sarawak, said Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman.

The Tupong assemblyman thus urged these Sarawakian students to repay their loans so as to benefit from the state government’s PTPTN loan repayment initiative.

“Currently, students need to settle at least 30 per cent of their outstanding PTPTN loans to be eligible for the 30 per cent repayment of the remaining amount by the state government,” he said in a statement today.

Fazzrudin said he was made to understand that there were a total of 195,350 PTPTN borrowers in Sarawak involving RM4.7 billion as at Dec 31 last year.

Given this, he hoped that the number of Sarawakian students benefitting from the loan repayment initiative would increase.

Fazzrudin, who is Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) deputy youth chief, lauded the state government’s initiative to help Sarawakian students repay their PTPTN loans.

“Sarawak is the only state to help students repay the PTPTN loans and this reflects the state government’s commitment to ensure that its people get the best education.”

He said other states in Malaysia should emulate what Sarawak is doing.

He added: “It is also appropriate at a time when the people’s income and finances are affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic uncertainties.”

Also Sarawak Volunteers advisor, Fazzrudin said the PTPTN loans must be settled to ensure continuity of the national education funds for future generations.

His statement was issued after Yayasan Sarawak and PTPTN exchanged a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a loan repayment worth RM30 million to be settled by the state government.

The initiative follows Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg’s pledge to Sarawakian students during a Lan Berambeh Anak Sarawak event in Kuala Lumpur in 2019.