Two conditions for PTPTN loans for UEC students

Friday April 30, 2010
Two conditions for PTPTN loans for UEC students
By RICHARD LIM
educate@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: Independent Chinese school students with the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) must meet two conditions to be eligible for National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loans.
The first is that they must be accepted into a local private higher education institution, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said. The other condition is that the courses they pursue must be accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency.
“Once they fulfil these requirements, they can apply for PTPTN loans, just like any other student,” he said when contacted yesterday.
He was clarifying an earlier statement over the requirement of a pass in the SPM Bahasa Melayu paper for the students to be entitled to apply for the loans.
Acting PTPTN chief executive Wan Ahmad Wan Yusoff also confirmed that there would not be any SPM requirement for the students to apply for the loan. He added that the PTPTN would discuss the technical side of the move with Chinese educationist group Dong Jiao Zhong representatives on Monday.
“These details include the number of students who apply, the date of application, and so on,” he said.
It is learnt that the PTPTN board met yesterday over the issue.
MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said a letter from Higher Education Ministry sent to the party stated that any student who furthered their studies in local private institutions of higher education after passing the UEC would be eligible for the loan.