SHAH ALAM, 5 Nov: The move by the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) to cut funding by five percent to Private Institutes of Higher Learning (IPTA) and 15 percent for Public Institutes of Higher Learning (IPTS) is not right when the people are facing an increasingly stressful financial situation.

The Exco for Education, Human Capital Development, Science, Technology and Innovation, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, said that this proves that the education funding policy of the Federal Government has failed completely.

He said that the extreme wastage and leakages have been left alone while access to education has become a victim.

“Higher education is not a privilege or a luxury. Higher education is increasingly becoming public interest,” he said in a media statement.

He said that the central government should expend access to higher education rather than complicating the situation, or worse still, destroy the dreams of young people who want to further their education.

“There should be a comprehensive restructuring of IPTS, which are mostly colleges of lower quality that lives solely on PTPTN funding but has failed to provide quality education and is burdening our young generation with debt,” he said.

NS