KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 ― The National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) will table its Rakyat Consultation Paper (Kertas Konsultasi Rakyat) on new mechanisms for the repayment of federal study loans in the third quarter of the year, said Wan Saiful Wan Jan.

Berita Harian reported him as saying the paper will contain documents and details on the mechanisms, as well as new recommendations obtained from PTPTN’s roundtable meetings with NGOs, economists, banking institutes, parents and students since last December.

“After the government changed their decision, my team and I began to hold negotiations for the roundtable from December until March. This is the first phase, after which the documents will be informed to the public via the paper, which is the next step,” the PTPTN chairman was quoted as saying.

Wan Saiful is referring to the decision on December 7 in which the government postponed the scheduled salary deduction for loan repayments.

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“We want the paper to be tabled and probably formulated after the rakyat provide feedback, including through open views, criticisms, demonstrations, and the like.

“The formulation’s final period has not been fixed yet seeing as how it has to undergo a long process, particularly the rakyat’s role in providing feedback,” Wan Saiful said.

He said the draft is already at hand and is only awaiting approval from the ministers of finance, education, and youth and sports.

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Wan Saiful also remains optimistic the final formulation will also determine PTPTN’s new model in generating and strengthening its revenue sources, so as to enable the institution to continue providing student loans to the rakyat.

When asked if the paper will also contain the scheduled salary deduction, he said it would, with several potential modifications.

“We also received a proposal to withdraw the PTPTN blacklist of loan defaulters, though some have said doing so is unfair to those who have been paying on time all this while.

“The paper will be brought to MPs in the upcoming Dewan Rakyat session (in July) where they can debate and make proposals on it as well,” Wan Saiful said, adding the paper will also be uploaded online to PTPTN’s website for public reference.