KUALA LUMPUR: Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) director-general Datuk Zulfikri Osman clarifies that the agency cannot offer sponsorships to students who have already received financial aid from other sources.
Commenting on the case involving medical students at Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah (UniSHAMS), Zulfikri said their applications were rejected because they had secured loans from the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN).
He explained that when applications for the Tertiary Education Sponsorship Programme (TESP) opened last November, the guidelines clearly stated that receiving financial assistance from another agency would render an applicant ineligible, an established condition that has been in place for decades.
"This is not a new requirement. It's similar to applying for a home loan, you can't finance the same house with two separate banks.
"Likewise, Mara aims to prioritise Bumiputera students who have yet to receive support from any other sponsor," he said in a statement Wednesday (April 23).
Zulfikri also reaffirmed Mara's commitment to providing study loans to ensure equitable access to quality and competitive higher education.
He noted that since 1999, Mara has sponsored 423 students at UniSHAMS, with 173 currently receiving support across various fields, including 144 in medicine.
As of March 31, a total of 4,510 Bumiputera students pursuing medical studies in Malaysia are being sponsored by Mara.
Earlier media reports highlighted concerns raised by parents, who claimed that 50 medical students at UniSHAMS were under significant financial pressure after their Mara sponsorship applications were rejected.
They have since called for urgent intervention from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Mara chairman Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki to help resolve the matter. — Bernama
