SARAWAK students who have taken the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loan to fund their studies, will now receive the state assistance they were promised to help settle their debts.

The state government today inked a memorandum of understanding with PTPTN to commit to assisting the students repay their arrears, following up on Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg’s promise in January to assist students in financial difficulty.

As part of the understanding, Sarawak will provide RM30 million to settle 30% of the loans of nearly 10,000 students.

However, the loan will be converted to a scholarship if they obtain a first class degree.

Sarawak Foundation, which drew up the repayment mechanism, has also been appointed as the state’s payment co-ordinator.

A symbolic cheque for the sum was handed over to Ahmad Dasuki Abdul Majid, PTPN’s chief executive, during the signing ceremony.

Abang Johari – in witnessing the signing between Dasuki and Azmi Bujang, director of Sarawak Foundation, at his office in Wisma Bapa Malaysia today – said the plea for assistance came from students he met during the annual Lan Berambeh programme, where state leaders meet with Sarawakians living or studying on the peninsula.

He also said anyone taking the loan should not be faulted for holding back on repayments, after hearing announcements that they might not have to do so.

The chief minister was alluding to promises made by Pakatan Harapan in the run up to the 2018 general election, to suspend PTPTN repayments for people earning less than RM4,000 a month. – March 5, 2021.