Over 50% of PTPTN defaulters not on Rahmah cash aid list

 

More than 2.7 million loans with a total outstanding sum of RM32 billion, remain unpaid, according to the higher education ministry.

PETALING JAYA: 

More than half of the National Higher Education Fund Corporation’s (PTPTN) borrowers who have yet to start repaying their loan, are not on the government’s Rahmah cash aid list, says higher education minister Zambry Abdul Kadir.

Responding to a question from Khairil Nizam Khirudin (PN-Jerantut), Zambry said he did not have the exact data on borrowers who had started working and were earning more than RM3,000 but had yet to make their PTPTN loan repayments.

However, he said of the 415,109 borrowers who have not made any repayments, 189,580, or 45.7%, had received the Rahmah cash aid.

“On the other hand, 225,529 borrowers, or 54.3%, are not recipients of the Rahmah cash aid,” he said in a written parliamentary reply.

Under the Rahmah scheme, recipients from households with incomes less than RM2,500 will receive RM500, while those with incomes between RM2,501 and RM5,000 will get between RM100 and RM300.

As of September, PTPTN had disbursed a total of RM74 billion in loans. However, more than 2.7 million loans with a total outstanding sum of RM32 billion, remain unpaid. - FMT