NEW Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik will meet stakeholders and the Immigration Department to review the travel ban on students who defaulted on their National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loan repayments.

The Star reported that Maszlee said that fresh graduates earning below RM4,000 can also delay their PTPTN repayment until all details are hashed out, as the move being part of the Pakatan Harapan 100-day promise.

“I am confident borrowers will repay the loan when their salary hits RM4,000 and more will be repaying their loans than defaulters in the future,” he said after the handover of duties from former Higher Education Minister Idris Jusoh at the ministry’s headquarters in Putrajaya yesterday.

Maszlee said he will also take in views from stakeholders on the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) – the standard examination for Chinese independent high schools. 

He also said he did not rule out the possibility of making public universities tuition-free.

He is also looking into plans to introduce teaching assistants in schools so as to reduce the burden of teachers and students.

 “My long-term goal is to make sure the education system of Malaysia is world class or on par with developed nations,” he said, adding that he also hopes to instil the values of “love and happiness” and mutual respect into the education sector.

The Simpang Renggam MP, who believes the merging of the Higher Education and Education Ministries was “not a big issue”, said he is also working on abolishing the University and University Colleges Act 1971.– May 23, 2018.