SHAH ALAM, Feb 4 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today emphasised that access to higher education be made as affordable as possible for students from low-income families and underserved groups.
However, he said the government’s debt burden, which is in the tens of thousands of ringgit, means current education aid must be targeted and phasic, reported Berita Harian.
According to Anwar, the government brought up the number of poor students receiving free education from 5,000 to 10,000 last year, and has held discussions with the Finance Ministry (MOF) to improve aid for the target groups.
“Education should be as affordable as possible, but we must also consider the country’s financial capabilities. Issues like converting PTPTN (loans) to scholarships for excellent students must be considered, but be resolved in stages,” he said.
He was speaking at the Meet Anwar dialogue session at Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT) here today.
At the same event, Anwar, who is also finance minister, announced that all education bodies and foundations that fulfil established conditions will receive tax exemptions for 10 years.
TAR UMT is among the education institutions that benefit from the move.
