By Mr. Phang Koon Tuck

Increasingly large number of student completing SPM & STPM every day The public universities cannot accommodate all these students

Previously, parents send their children overseas because : Believe that overseas universities are better academically Facilities are better compared with local institution Those who cannot afford overseas education, look to local colleges/ universities - as 2 nd choice

Assurance that the above thinking is not correct All local private universities of Higher Learning are subjected to strict quality control by the MOE needs LAN approval and accreditation All MAPCU member institutions are thus accredited In addition, local institution are charging fees which are significantly lower compare to overseas colleges/universities. On top of this, the cost of living in Malaysia much cheaper, thus the overall saving’s is significant. With USD/£/AUD so high, studying abroad can be 3-5 times more expensive. Obtain an overseas qualification locally

There are many forms of financial assistance available to parents/ students for them to pursue a tertiary education

These include: Scholarships/ loans from both the Public and Private sections Withdrawal from EPF and Sosco Unit Trust/ Insurance Schemes for Education Bank Loans Private Charitable Foundations The NSTP-MAPCU Scholarship from member invitations The Star Education Fund

Public Sectors Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional (PTPTN) Malaysian citizen Letter of Acceptance from IPTA/ IPTS SPM/ STPM results (or equivalent) – SPM min with 3 credits is a must Repayment, 6 months after graduation Loan : from RM2,500 – RM16,000 per year of studies

JPA For studies locally and overseas Overseas, 1-2 foundation (local) & balance at foreign universities German Engineering Programme - 2 years at PPPITM (Shah Alam) - German Universities (overseas) MARA Loan & Scholarships for both local & overseas study State Foundations Yayasan Selangor, Johor, Sabah, Pahang, etc

Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (KWSP) Withdrawals from Account II : lower of fees or available funds in Account II [submission via Form KWSP 9H (AHL)] Payment to the Institution (local or foreign) SOCSO Loan given to dependant children of members

Private Sectors Unit Trust/ Insurance Schemes Long term installments, whereby regular payment made (minimum 5 years) to build up a fund to be used for financing the child’s studies Bank Loans Many local banks have education schemes to provide loans to both local and overseas institutions * RHB, Maybank, HSBC, Standard Chartered, etc

Private Charitable Foundations/ Corporate Many private foundations large and public corporation offer scholarships/ loans to finance students egDong Zong/ Gilds & Association Lee Foundations/ Kuok Foundations Shell/ Sime Darby Petronas/ Telekom/ Tenaga Nasional

NST-MAPCU Scholarship For studies in local IPTS Academic results Extra curriculum activities Financially deserving Given as a form of Tuition Fee waiver institutions offering up to RM2.4 million in scholarships institutions offering up to RM3.0 million in scholarships We advertise this in the ‘Learning Curve’ that appears in the Sunday Times. Details are available at our website

NST-MAPCU Scholarship Awards - Summary of Pledges for year 2005

STAR Education Fund Similar criteria as above Participation by MAPCU members in this fund

There is thus a myriad of financial assistance that students can tap into. As Malaysia marches forward to be a Centre of Education Excellence, opportunities are plenty for our students to participate in this exciting and essential journey.

THANK YOU