Malaysia: Free education not practical’

Malaysia/October 31, 2017/Source: http://www.theborneopost.com

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh yesterday urged the public not to be influenced by the opposition’s promises of introducing free education in the country as this was not practical and difficult to implement.

He said the opposition had always been trumpeting on offering free education and they should have  implemented it in Selangor through the state-owned Universiti Selangor (Unisel).

“I challenge them to implement free education at Unisel first, they did implement it before but it failed and the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) had to step in,” he told reporters after the launch of Big Data Lab and opening of a new building at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Kota Bharu campus here yesterday.

Idris said the fees charged to students here were not high and were among the lowest in Asia.

“This is because over 90 per cent of current academic fees charged by public universities has been subsidised by the government, “ he said.

He said the government was also helping students by providing various loan facilities such as loans from PTPTN, scholarships or sponsorship from various agencies including the Public Service Department.

In the 2018 budget presented by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak last Friday, RM2.2 billion scholarship allocation was announced to boost higher education. — Bernama

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‘Free education not practical’