KUALA LUMPUR: Graduates earning between RM2,501 and RM3,000 a month will only need to repay their National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loans at a minimum rate of RM50 per month, with the flexibility announced in Budget 2027.
Deputy Higher Education Minister Adam Adli Abdul Halim said the loan repayment flexibility initiative is expected to benefit more than 400,000 people, helping to ease the financial burden on graduates who have just entered the workforce.
He said graduates earning below RM2,500 a month would not need to begin repaying their loans until they reached the stipulated income threshold.
"We can address this concern in the most effective way possible for now.
"This is something that has been discussed and debated for years and now, God-willing, we can implement it through Budget 2027," he said in an interview with a local radio station recently.
Commenting on the cost of living among university students, Adam Adli said the Dapur Siswa Madani initiative, which provides centralised cooking facilities on campuses, would be expanded to polytechnics and teacher education institutes in 2027.
He said an allocation of RM20mil has been provided to supply food items and necessities, including rice, cooking oil, eggs and sardines, to the kitchens.
"Students can use the supplies to cook for themselves or in groups, with planning carried out together with student associations or kitchen managers to help control food expenses," he said.
On transportation, he said the My50 pass would continue, in addition to the introduction of MyKomuter50 for users of Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) commuter services, which students could also use for their daily journeys.
Meanwhile, he said the FlySiswa assistance would be increased from RM400 to RM500 annually for each eligible student to purchase flight tickets between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak for study-related travel.
At the same time, Adam Adli said the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) would continue to be strengthened for young people with an interest in technical skills, with the employability rate of its graduates standing at between 95 and 97% annually.
He said investments in high-technology industries have also created job opportunities and demand for workers equipped with new skills.
As an example, he recounted meeting a polytechnic diploma graduate in his 20s who earned between RM6,000 and RM7,000 a month after working in a data centre in Johor for about a year following graduation.
"TVET is a pathway that we are strengthening to ensure that more young people, including school leavers who are not interested in academics but prefer technical disciplines, have an option that suits them. TVET is the answer.
"Sometimes, all we need is the skill," he said. – Bernama
