Saturday, June 21, 2008

RM3b study loans for undergrads

2008/06/22
By : Chuah Bee Kim


JOHOR BARU: The Higher Education Ministry will give out study loans totalling RM3 billion to students pursuing higher education at local universities this year.

Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, said there were some 180,000 students pursuing diploma and degree programmes. The new intake for degree programmes was about 40,000 this year.

He said the allocation was higher than last year when the ministry gave out loans totalling RM2.8 billion.

Khaled, who said this at the opening of the "My Career and Education Fair 2008", urged companies to offer internship programmes and universities to have career guidance programmes to ensure secure employment for graduates.

"About 65 per cent of graduates from local universities have found jobs within six months of their graduation. We hope to raise this to more than 80 per cent.
"It is hoped that 50 per cent of those aged between 17 and 23 in the country have tertiary education."

The two-day fair, organised by People Source (M) Sdn Bhd and My Events Sdn Bhd, has 61 booths, including Jobstreet Malaysia, PLUS Expressways Berhad, UEM Land Sdn Bhd and International Islamic University Malaysia.

Mohd Hairizan Rahami, 23, was among the visitors who turned up on the first day of the fair. Mohd Hairizan, who graduated with a certificate in mechanical engineering in 2005, said he had come to the fair to see if he could find a higher-paying job.

Fresh graduate Saiful Anuar Radzuan, 21, also visited the fair hoping to get a job. Equipped with a degree in marine science, Saiful said it was difficult to find a job where he could make use of his knowledge.

"I hope I can find something at the fair," he said.

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