PKR's solution for higher education financing woes involves RM2.5 billion a year to provide RM5,000 to half a million university students annually.

Offering a preview of the party's plan last night, PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli the same should cover the student's basic expenses, while tuition at public institutions would be made free. 

He said that for students at private higher learning institutions, the RM5,000 allowance can be used to offset tuition cost. 

Rafizi was speaking to a group of students at Shah Alam, in order to share his party's plans should Pakatan Rakyat win the next general election. 

He said that the federal government run National Higher Education Loan Scheme (PTPTN), which provides cheap study loans, was not sustainable.

RM24 billion is owed to PTPTN and he predicts that the debts would have to be written off by the government eventually. 

Scant on details

Although sure that Pakatan would abolish PTPTN if it comes to power, Rafizi was shy on the specifics.

"Specifics of the plan cannot be disclosed because there are no countries in which the opposition has all the details," he said.

"The structure of the education system must be destroyed and rebuilt, and the debt should be repaid in 10 years at a sum of RM2 billion a year."

"The government already spends about RM14 billion a year on university education.

"That sum is enough to repay the debts, abolish PTPTN and give RM5,000 to university students per year which will be enough to cover accommodation, food, textbooks, and transportation, since education will already be free."

He added that removing student debts will aid the economy, because it could not always depend on exports.

"Two hundred thousand students with debts and no spending power will not expand the economy."

Two systems

He added that Pakatan will introduce two systems of entry into higher education:

(1) Normal way of entering university after SPM/STPM
(2) Apprenticeship system.

Employers will be licensed to accept apprentices who will have the opportunity to move on to acquire a diploma.

After that, they may choose to enter a university. This is to help students who don't do well in SPM but who want to further their studies later on.

Of the 10 universities to be built if Pakatan takes over, five will be technical universities.

"Students should enter private universities out of choice, not because they are forced to do so because there is no space in public universities," he said.

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