KUALA LUMPUR: Graduates earning between RM2,501 and RM3,000 a month will only need to make a minimum monthly repayment of RM50 on their National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loans, says Adam Adli Abdul Halim.
The Deputy Higher Education Minister said the loan repayment flexibility initiative under Budget 2027 is expected to benefit more than 400,000 PTPTN borrowers, helping to ease the financial burden on graduates who had recently entered the workforce.
He added that borrowers earning below RM2,500 a month can defer repayments until their income reaches the stipulated 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 we can implement it through Budget 2027,” he said in a recent radio interview.
Commenting on the cost of living among university students, Adam Adli said the Dapur Siswa Madani initiative, which provides shared cooking facilities on campuses, would be expanded to polytechnics and teacher education institutes next year.
He said RM20mil had been allocated for cooking equipment and food supplies, including rice, cooking oil, eggs and sardines, while the initiative would also offer affordable meals under the Menu Kasih Siswa programme.
“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 with expenses,” he said.
On transportation, he said the My50 pass would continue for Prasarana bus and rail commuters in the Klang Valley, while the MyKomuter50 pass would be introduced for Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd commuters.
Meanwhile, Adam Adli said the annual FlySiswa assistance would be increased from RM400 to RM500 for eligible students to purchase flight tickets between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak for study-related travel.
He also said technical and vocational education and training (TVET) would continue to be strengthened for youths interested in acquiring technical skills, with graduates recording an employability rate of between 95% and 97%.
He said investments in high-technology industries had also created job opportunities and increased demand for workers equipped with new skills.
He cited the example of a polytechnic diploma graduate in his 20s who earned between RM6,000 and RM7,000 a month after working at a data centre in Johor for about a year following graduation.
