Repaying PTPTN Loans A Religious And Moral Duty, Says UKM Islamic Studies Dean
By Nadia Jumri
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 13 (Bernama) -- Repaying debts, including education loans from the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN), is a religious obligation in Islam and should not be taken lightly.
Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Izhar Ariff Mohd Kashim, Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Studies at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and a renowned preacher, emphasised that repaying debt is not merely a legal obligation but also a matter of trust and personal integrity.
'Islam mandates that we settle our debts and seek solutions to do so. It is not wrong to borrow for a good purpose like education, but deliberately avoiding repayment and shirking responsibility is unacceptable.
'Some pretend to forget or think the debt is no longer their concern once they finish their studies, even though they have signed an agreement to repay,' he said in a recent interview with Bernama.
He explained that every PTPTN loan is intended to be recycled for future generations of students; therefore, repaying the loan is not only an individual's responsibility to the institution but also a duty to society and the nation.
'The government and PTPTN have helped us continue our education. Now, it's our turn to help future Malaysian generations by repaying what we have borrowed,' he said.
Mohd Izhar Ariff said that borrowers should welcome PTPTN's loan restructuring initiatives, designed to ease repayment.
'We should be grateful to the government for introducing various initiatives to help students, both current and former borrowers, by allowing loans to be restructured or rescheduled according to their ability to pay,' he added.
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