Higher Education Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin described the proposal by the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) to stop giving loans for expenses as "not proper", stressing that those in the low-income group would need it.

He said the costs would be too high for students from poor families and those in the low-income group.

"PTPTN has not submitted its proposal yet but if it does so, the ministry would have to scrutinise the matter," he said.

"I believe that there should be a loan especially to those from poor families," he said after opening a volleyball championship organised by Vision Christian Fellowship JB in Johor.

PTPTN chairman Ismail Mohamed Said was reported as saying that the corporation planned to stop giving loans for expenses to reduce its increasing burden.

It proposed that the loans be restricted to tuition fees.

Ismail said that to date, some 1.87 million students had borrowed RM41.6 billion from the corporation.

- Bernama