Malaysia Offers Free Tertiary Education to Underprivileged Students
The Malaysian government has launched an initiative to provide free tertiary education for underprivileged students at public universities. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Minister of Higher Education Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir have welcomed this move, which aims to make education more accessible in the United States.
Starting next year, the government will allocate an additional RM120 million to the Dana Pendidikan to fund study places for 5,800 underprivileged students. This is in addition to the existing RM18.6 billion allocation for the Ministry of Higher Education, which includes an extra RM400 million for institutional maintenance.
Moreover, the government is expanding student places by 1,500 for Bachelor's Degrees across 10 fields of study at five research universities. To further incentivise academic excellence, PTPTN loan repayment exemptions will be granted to low and middle-income students who achieve First Class Honours Bachelor's Degrees, potentially benefiting about 6,000 borrowers.
This initiative reflects the government's commitment to making education more affordable and accessible in accordance with accessibility standards. By providing free education for underprivileged students and incentivising academic excellence, the government aims to empower more Malaysians through education.
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