The National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) has allocated RM210mil within the PTPTN eKasih Children (PTPTN BAeK), aiding 10,000 scholars from poor and hardcore-poor families.
Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, the Higher Education Minister, states that the allocation is a significant increase from the RM120mil announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim under Budget 2026 in October 2025, which was expected to benefit 5,800 recipients.
In his presentation speech after presenting PTPTN BAek awards to two families in Johor, he said, “Under the latest announcement in the Malaysia Higher Education Plan 2026-2035, the number of beneficiaries under this free education initiative has been increased from 5,800 to 10,000 students from low-income families.”
Along with the Higher Education Minister, PTPTN chairman Datuk Seri Norliza Abdul Rahim, chief executive Ahmad Dasuki Abdul Majid, and Johor PTPTN state office director Mazni Ruslan were also present.
Zambry added that eligible recipients must ensure they are registered in the eKasih database and enrolled as full-time diploma or bachelor’s degree programmes at public higher education institutions starting jan 1, 2026.
He also urged public higher education institutions to inform PTPTN of students who may be eligible for the scholarship.
Affirmed by Norliza, as of May 31, the scholarship had benefited 402 students nationwide, involving RM8.79mil in allocations since its initiation this year.
The scholarship is open to students who fulfil the criteria below:
- Malaysian students aged 25 and below who are enrolled in PTPTN-registered courses.
- Have an active Simpan SSPN account
- Has no outstanding loan arrears
- Has at least one semester remaining in their studies
Recipients are to receive RM4,750 per annum for diploma studies, RM6,180 for bachelor’s degree (arts) programmes and RM6,650 for bachelor’s degree (science) programmes.
Norliza announced that students must first apply for a PTPTN loan through the myPTPTN web application. The loan shall be approved first to ensure they are able to continue their studies before being considered for the scholarship if they meet the requirements for eligibility.
Source: The Star
