Nearly half of the borrowers from the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) who have not repaid their loans are still receiving the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) cash aid, according to Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Zambry Abdul Kadir.
As of August 31, PTPTN records indicate 415,109 borrowers have not made any repayments.
Among them, 189,580 borrowers (45.7%) are recipients of the STR aid, while the remaining 225,529 (54.3%) are not, said Zambry in a written reply in Parliament.
He highlighted that PTPTN relies on data from the time of loan application when borrowers typically did not have any income.
This information limits the corporation’s ability to track borrowers’ current financial status accurately.
The response was given in reply to Khairil Nizam Khirudin (PN-Jerantut), who sought details on the number of PTPTN borrowers with salaries above RM3,000 who had failed to repay their loans.
Khairil also inquired about defaulters within his Jerantut constituency.
Zambry reported that Jerantut alone accounts for 1,710 borrowers who have not made repayments, with the cumulative outstanding debt amounting to RM38.17 million.
This revelation underscores ongoing challenges in loan recovery despite government efforts to assist borrowers through financial aid programs.
