No of students to get MARA loan unchanged - Ismail Sabri

The number of students to receive study loans from Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) will not change, despite the RM400 million cut in the budget for the purpose this year.

Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said MARA would continue to give study loans to 20,000 students, involving RM1.7 billion, with the amount to be based on their parents' income.

"When there is a cut in the allocation, (and) to ensure no reduction in the number of loan recipients, we will have categories on borrowers eligible to receive the loan," he told reporters after opening the annual meeting of all the UMNO branches in the Bera division here today.

He said students whose parents earned RM8,000 a month and below would be given full loan, while those whose parents earned between RM8,000 and RM15,000 a month would be given loan only for their study fees and would not include their cost of living expenses.

"For students with parents earning RM15,000 a month and above, MARA does not give loan through the MARA fund, but we help them to obtain loan from banks or the National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN)," he added.

In another development, Ismail Sabri, who is UMNO Supreme Council member, said at the meeting today, all UMNO branches in the Bera division unanimously declared their support for the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and rejected the "Mahathir Declaration".