Review loan disbursement mechanism by PTPTN - Ikmal Hisham

The government has been urged to review the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loan disbursement mechanism so that it is only given to those qualified.

Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz (BN-Tanah Merah) said the proposal was made because there were borrowers who should not have received the PTPTN loans while those who were qualified missed out.

"A posting showing an image of a son of a senior government official with his PTPTN loan has gone viral. Based on his parents income, he did not deserve the loan," he said when debating the Supply Bill 2018 in the Dewan Rakyat sitting Tuesday.

As such, the PTPTN loan disbursement mechanism should be reviewed while the applicants be subjected to screening by a panel who should investigate if necessary, to ensure they were really qualified.

Ikmal Hisham, who is also MARA Incorporated Sdn Bhd chairman, also urged PTPTN to consider abolishing the administration charges of between one to three per cent imposed on the borrowers.

The government backbencher suggested that the borrowers who make consistent loan repayment be exempted of the charges but the 'stubborn' borrowers should be charged.

When tabling Budget 2018, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the government had agreed to extend the PTPTN loan repayment discount until Dec 31, 2018.

The 20 percent loan discount is only given to borrowers who settle their loans in one lump sum.

- BERNAMA