No plans to abolish subsidies for public varsity fees, says minister

 

A total of 10,000 students in public universities were exempted from paying admission fees this year, totalling RM30 million, said higher education minister Khaled Nordin.

SINTOK: The government has no plans to abolish fee subsidies for local students at public higher learning institutions nationwide, says minister Khaled Nordin.

The higher education minister said it was the government’s commitment to ensure that all citizens continued to have easier access to higher education.

“For example, if we look at a business degree, the actual cost for a four-year degree is RM70,000 to RM80,000. However, at public universities, it is only RM2,000 to RM3,000.

“At Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), each semester costs only RM200, which means two semesters in a year is RM400. But the actual cost is thousands of ringgit.

“Therefore, the government will maintain the subsidy for local students studying at public universities,” he told reporters after a working visit to Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) today.

Khaled added that the government provides up to RM3.5 billion in loans a year to students who want to further their studies, through the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN).

He said a total of 10,000 students in public universities were exempted from paying admission fees this year, totalling RM30 million. - FMT