The Federal Government has been urged to write off the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) debts of borrowers who are unemployed or belong to the B40 group and the extremely poor.
Julau Member of Parliament, Larry Sng, said the measure was more effective than providing cash assistance, in addition to being able to ease the burden of those who really need immediate assistance to get out of financial stress.
He said that if the Sarawak government was able to help the state's citizens pay off their PTPTN debts, other governments should also be able to do so because it involves political commitment and sincerity in helping the people.
In 2023, the Sarawak government paid RM90.42 million to PTPTN to cover 30 percent of the debts of borrowers who had settled at least 30 percent of their loan balance. The payment is implemented through the student loan repayment incentive initiative introduced by the Sarawak Foundation since 2021.
In addition, Sng also urged the government to re-evaluate study courses at public universities to be in line with industry needs, thus avoiding wasting graduates' time and energy in fields where it is difficult to find employment opportunities.
According to him, a more forward-looking higher education policy will be able to reduce youth unemployment rates, as well as ensure that government investments in the education sector provide positive returns to the national economy.
