IslamicFinance.de

Shamsul Anuar Nasarah, chairman of the National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN), says the 1% interest charged on study loans is not to make a profit, therefore it is not right to abolish it. In his view, the cost is minimum and is used to cover the staffing and administrative costs of those who are managing the accounts. Borrowers are charged between 1% and 3% interest, and additionally, their loan amount will increase if they fail to pay their instalments. After the agency's establishment, administrative costs had amounted to 4% a year. It was gradually reduced to 3% a year since January 1, 2004. Now, the interest is only 1% a year, beginning June 1, 2008. In 2017 PTPTN is expected to collect RM4 billion by the end of the year. Higher Education Minister Idris Jusoh said the target was achievable as the agency had collected RM3.4 billion last year, when its target was only RM2 billion.