FOR Mardiona Mittle Anak Pelly, a 19-year-old student at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) in Mukah, Sarawak, the offer letter from the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) was more than just a piece of paperwork – it was a weight lifted off her family’s shoulders.
Mardiona is among 10,000 higher education students nationwide benefitting from the PTPTN eKasih Children’s Scholarship (BAeK PTPTN), a government initiative that converts PTPTN loans into scholarships for students from poor and hardcore poor households, enabling them to pursue their studies and eventually their careers, debt-free.
Hailing from Simunjan, Sarawak, Mardiona comes from a family of modest means – her father is a farmer and her mother a homemaker.
She had always dreamed of furthering her studies, and her father had hoped to see her at a prestigious university like UiTM.
!['This scholarship] helps ease the financial burden, bringing relief to my parents, and serving as a motivation for me to study hard,' said Mardiona.](https://apicms.thestar.com.my/uploads/images/2026/07/16/4012899.jpeg)
Despite receiving five other higher-education offers, she could neither accept nor reject them as financial constraints complicated her path forward, making the dream of attending college or university seem unattainable.
“I felt really grateful upon learning I was selected for BAeK PTPTN. This scholarship means a great deal not just to me, but to my family as well. It helps ease the financial burden, bringing relief to my parents, and serving as a motivation for me to study hard,” she said.
“I am truly grateful to the government and PTPTN for still thinking of students like me who come from modest backgrounds.
“I promise to make good use of this opportunity and hope to repay the trust placed in me.”
Having grown up around her father’s work in agriculture, Mardiona is currently in her first semester pursuing a Diploma in Plantation Industry Management and hopes to become an agriculture sector officer after completing her studies.
“It’s close to my heart, and something that I’ve always had a passion for. Since joining UiTM, I’ve learnt so much more about the field of agriculture, which has piqued my interest even more,” she said.
Also benefiting from the scheme is Darshennia Saravanan from Sungai Petani, Kedah, a Diploma in Business Studies student at Politeknik Tuanku Sultanah Bahiyah in Kulim.
The second of six children, Darshennia and her family also care for her grandparents at home – her grandfather is a stroke patient and her grandmother is recovering from an operation after a bad fall.
With four younger siblings still in school and ageing family members to care for, financial pressures at home are a constant challenge as her parents try to make do on their contract work and factory-worker salaries.
Despite this, her parents have always encouraged her to focus on her studies and her future – which she aims to do in full force now after being named a recipient of BAeK PTPTN.
“I truly did not expect to receive this assistance. With this scholarship, I can focus more on my studies without having to constantly worry about my family’s financial struggles,” said the 19-year-old.
“I am grateful to the government and PTPTN for still giving students like me the chance to keep dreaming.
“It gives me greater peace of mind knowing that it can help alleviate my parents’ financial burden.”
Darshennia hopes to one day become a chief executive officer of a company, and chose her course as a stepping stone toward that goal.
“Becoming a chief executive officer is no easy feat,” she acknowledged.
“I know this journey won’t be easy, but I believe that with continuous effort and the knowledge and experience gained from my studies, I can achieve that goal.”
Meanwhile, for another BAeK PTPTN recipient, Muhamad Hariz Haikal Mohamad from Pasir Mas, Kelantan, the scholarship arrived at a particularly difficult chapter in his family’s life.
His father passed away in early 2023, when Hariz was just 16, leaving his mother, now a homemaker, to raise the family largely on her own.
Despite the hardship in the past few years, Hariz said his family has been his best support system, always encouraging him to work hard in his studies and never give up.
As the fifth of eight children, Hariz is currently undertaking a Diploma in Accounting at UiTM in Kuala Dungun, Terengganu.
“This scholarship means so much to me because it can ease my family’s financial burden,” he said.
“Now, my family no longer needs to worry about tuition fees or the cost of my studies, and I can give my full attention to my studies.
“This BAeK PTPTN assistance doesn’t just ease our financial burden, it gives me confidence that the government and PTPTN truly understand the struggles of families like mine.”
Hariz added that he hopes to build a career as a professional accountant after graduation, driven by the goal to better his family’s life.
“I believe that it is achievable, as long as I work hard and stay committed. No one should be afraid of dreaming big, because everyone has the chance to succeed if they don’t give up.”
All three recipients had a similar message for other students from underprivileged backgrounds who may be hesitant to pursue their education dream and believe that financial hardship makes success impossible.
“Never let shortcomings or hardship become an excuse to stop pursuing your dreams. There is great power in the belief that every effort, prayer and act of patience will yield results,” said Hariz.
Mardiona echoed this sentiment, urging fellow students to seize every opportunity available to them.
“Even though I come from a less privileged background, having this opportunity to learn and grow emboldens me to study harder to change my life and my family’s life in the future,” she said.
Darshennia offered similar encouragement, highlighting that while no two lives are the same, everyone has the potential to change their lives.
“Sometimes, our path may be more difficult, and other people might have more advantages than we do. But that does not mean that we cannot still succeed in life.
“Financial struggles are difficult to live with, but, in fact, it is not a barrier to your success as long as you keep trying,” she said.
BAeK PTPTN
Announced under Budget 2026, the BAeK PTPTN initiative reflects the government’s social justice approach to education.
Through the scheme, PTPTN loans are provided in the form of scholarships to underprivileged and hardcore poor students pursuing full-time diploma or bachelor’s degree programmes at public higher education institutions (IPTA) beginning Jan 1 this year.
The initiative demonstrates the government’s commitment to ensuring that socioeconomic background does not stand in the way of higher education opportunities.
Through comprehensive financial support, it aims to help deserving students achieve academic excellence and start their careers without the burden of debt, while contributing to the gradual reduction of socioeconomic inequality.
In its initial phase, the scheme was expected to benefit 5,800 students, backed by an RM120mil allocation.
This was later expanded at the launch of the National Education Plan 2026-2035 on Jan 20.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the number of eligible scholarship recipients would rise to 10,000 students, requiring an increased allocation of RM210mil, to be channelled by the government through the Finance Ministry to PTPTN.
Under BAeK PTPTN, recipients are offered RM4,750 a year for diploma studies, RM6,180 a year for bachelor’s degree arts programmes and RM6,650 a year for bachelor’s degree science programmes.
The eligibility criteria for the scheme are:
> Malaysian citizen;
> Not older than 25 on the date of application;
> Commencing full-time diploma or bachelor’s degrees at an IPTA from Jan 1 this year;
> Listed in eKasih database;
> Enrolled in a course registered under the PTPTN Application System;
> Holds an active Simpan SSPN Prime or Simpan SSPN Plus account;
> Has no PTPTN loan account currently managed by PTPTN’s Debt Management Agency (APH); and
> Has at least one semester of study remaining at the time of application.
BAeK PTPTN is based on PTPTN loan applications submitted via the myPTPTN web application.
Students are first approved for a PTPTN loan to ensure the continuity of their studies and are offered BAeK PTPTN if they meet the eligibility criteria.
Students will be notified via email and notification messages within the myPTPTN application.
Click here to download the myPTPTN app
