KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 — The government may review the measure to restrict overseas travel for National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loan defaulters.
Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said this in response to a supplementary question from Lim Lip Eng (Harapan-Kepong) on whether the government would reinstate restrictions on hardcore defaulters who refuse to repay despite having the means to do so.
“We may review it, but for now, there is still no consideration to impose restrictions on borrowers,” he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He said that as of July this year, PTPTN had approved loans for 3.1 million borrowers from the B40 group and Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) recipients, with total disbursements amounting to RM59.44 billion.
He also announced that applications for repayment exemptions for first-class degree holders on the PTPTN website would open on September 1.
“I would also like to inform this honourable House that the first-class exemption scheme began in 2001, and to date, a total of 133,159 students have benefited, involving an estimated value of RM2.9 billion,” Mustapha said.
