PUTRAJAYA, May 31 — Education Minister Maszlee Malik today announced that his ministry is working to lift the travel ban on an estimated one million National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) defaulters next month.

He indicated that the ban may be lifted by June 15. 

“The process to remove defaulters from the blacklist will be executed in phases between May 24 and June 15.

“Should any of you face trouble at the airport, please contact our officers there,” he told a news conference here.

PTPTN chief executive Wan Ahmad Wan Yusoff, who was also present at the news conference, said the travel blacklist dated back to 2000.

“Some of them paid but stopped after a while, and some never did start paying,” he said.

To date, he said PTPTN has collected about RM1 billion from debtors.

Maszlee also said fresh graduates who owed PTPTN but currently earn RM4,000 or below need not remit payment until a proper mechanism was in place.

“We are studying this at the moment and we will take this into consideration as we are currently struggling to clean the dirt caused by the previous administration,” Maszlee said when asked if this could result in accumulated interests.

Maszlee added that his ministry will deliver all promises made in the Pakatan Harapan election manifesto based on priorities, without elaborating on how it planned to do so and the timeframe.

https://www.malaymail.com/s/1636843/one-million-ptptn-defaulters-may-fly-after-june-15-says-education-minister