KUALA LUMPUR: The National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) Open Day saw more people being proactive on saving for their children’s education.
Mindsets were shifted as many visitors inquired about schemes offered by PTPTN.
The Open Day, which happened simultaneously in shopping malls nationwide aimed to bring PTPTN closer to the community, and introduce its new scheme, SSPN-i Plus.
After 12 years since the introduction of SSPN-i, PTPTN introduced a new product, SSPN-i Plus, an affordable savings scheme with a very comprehensive Takaful protection.
PTPTN chairman, Datuk Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said with SSPN-i Plus, the government is confident that no student would be left out for higher education as the scheme was guaranteed with its takaful protection.
“SSPN-i Plus fits the needs of Malaysians, especially Muslims, as the scheme is built in-line with the financial system which is Syariah compliant.
“Malaysians must understand that with SSPN-i Plus, not only do they invest for the purpose of education but receive Takaful protection and a competitive dividend,” he said after launching the Open Day and “Cabutan Wow! & Best Online Agent” Prize Giving Ceremony on Saturday.
“This is the best time to start saving as the year end is usually the time we start tax planning and by investing in SSPN-i Plus, the children’s education funds for the future are guaranteed, while parents who are the depositors also receive benefits in the form of insurance in cases of emergency,” said Shamsul.
To encourage more depositors for the scheme, “Cabutan Wow SSPN-i Plus” was organised with 300 over gifts worth RM1.5 million.
“This competition was organised to attract the interest of the people and also to appreciate all our depositors,” he said during his speech.
The draw has two categories, where the first is done yearly and the second is done every quarter of the year.
Tan Yee Wai became the grand prize winner for the first quarter draw of “Cabutan Wow SSPN-i Plus”.
He said he was totally shocked and thought it was a scam when it was first announced that he won the grand prize which was a 1.5L Honda Jazz.
“My main intention in investing was for the sole purpose of my children’s education. I never expected to win any competition as I was just doing my part as a parent for my children’s future.But, now that I’ve won, I feel very thankful and excited for the prize,” said the factory manager from Skudai.
Besides the prize draw, yesterday PTPTN also awarded its best PTPTN Online Agent (EPO).
One of the award recipients was Taufiq Ismail who has recruited over 500 depositors for SSPN-i Plus. He thanked PTPTN for the recognition as it encouraged him to work harder.
Taufiq, who used websites and social media to advertise and encourage Malaysians about the scheme, only became an EPO four months ago. He won a cash prize of RM1,000.
“I became an EPO with an intention to earn some extra income for my family. But, when I realised that the scheme has a lot of benefits, not only for the depositor but also for the family as a whole, I took the opportunity to try to educate and encourage more people to join the savings scheme.
“I also highly encourage those who intend to generate extra income to register as an EPO as the working hours are very flexible without any extra needed payment,” he said.
The Open Day with PTPTN was a big hit among visitors as they could learn more on the saving schemes offered, and the event also allowed PTPTN defaulters to consult officers directly to figure out repayment methods.
A visitor, Raja Kumar, 49 from Kajang said the event provided him the opportunity to further enrich himself with knowledge and the importance of education funds.
The father of one, who is also a depositor to the Sspn-i Plus saving scheme said his decision to invest in the scheme came after noticing the rising cost of education.
“I want my child to have a comfortable future and a guarantee that he will not have to worry about his education funds. I believe this investment would benefit him greatly in the future,” said Raja.
In Penang, state PTPTN manager Ahmad Dasuki Abdul Majid said the response to the Open Day was overwhelming. “We targeted to get at least 50 people to register for a saving plan and reached our target by lunch,”.
Mahomad Hanif Mahomad Saad, 35 said he had heard that the State-level Open Day would be organised at the Mydin mall near his house. “I decided to bring my family over to find out about the SSPN-i and SSPN-i Plus saving plans as I was planning to start saving for my eight-year-old son’s education in the future,” said the secondary school teacher.
The father of three said the programme was an excellent way for working parents, especially those in towns without a PTPTN branch, to find out and register for the savings plans.
“For us here in Kepala Batas, we have to go to PTPTN’s Seberang Jaya branch, which is about 20 km away, on working day to get the information. That is rather inconvenient but with this programme, we are able to gather all the information we need easily.
Housewife Nor Fishah Mohd Rosali, 42, said she was able to register for the SSPN-i Plus saving plan for her 10-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son.
“After we had to take a PTPTN loan for my 20-year-old daughter’s education recently, I decided it was time to start saving for the education of my two children in school. “I heard about PTPTN’s saving plans before but was too busy to make the trip to the PTPTN branch. So when I heard about this programme I immediately took the opportunity to find out about the saving programme and registered on the spot,” said the mother of eight.
