PERBADANAN TABUNG PENGAJIAN TINGGI NASIONAL (PTPTN) & NEW MEDIA

Perbadanan Tabung Pengajian Tinggi Nasional or PTPTN is very synonym with Malaysian students because it provides them educational loan. PTPTN was established on 1^st July 1997 and officially operational on 1^st November 1997. It is under the National Higher Education Fund Coperation Act 1997 (Act 566). According to its official website, there are 3 main functions of PTPTN which are managing the financing of higher education and repayment collection. It also providing a saving scheme and administer the deposits for the purpose of higher education and performing other functions entrusted to PTPTN by any written legislation.

However there are many problems regarding PTPTN. The emergence of new media today also had proven that PTPTN gives many problems to its loan holder. From the earlier problems started from the applicants’ registration until they had graduated from their studies. Most bloggers also wrote about the problems of PTPTN. One of the blogs that shows people reports regarding PTPTN is aduanrakyat.blogspot.com. When read the reports, the issues that they try to highlight are the ineffective of PTPTN’s system in handling data regarding repayments, the imbalance rate of repayments and the late period of loan processing.  One of the funniest things reported in the blog is when the JPA scholarship holder also cannot go to overseas because PTPTN claims that he is one of their loan holders.

To solve those issues, PTPTN also used new media to communicate and encouraged people to repay back the loans. Since there are applications via online, the loan holders can also pay their loans through online in selected banks online applications such as CIMBClick, Maybank2U, Public Bank, RHB Bank, AmBank and POS Online. If the loan holders want to pay via PTPTN Portal, they can use e-FES applications through Financial Processing Exchange which the agents are Bank Islam, CIMB, Public Bank, Maybank, Hong Leong Bank and RHB Bank. (www.ptptn.gov.my, 2012)

PTPTN also introduced interaction channels including new media as well. The interactions channels offer by PTPTN are its official website, call centre hotline at 03-20927788, PTPTN’s e-forum space, SMS service, PTPTN’s One Stop Centre at KL Sentral and Info Centre at Sabah and Sarawak. (Berita Harian, 21 August 2010)

In its future planning, PTPTN will implement the use of new media towards its administration and also in its services. According to ‘PTPTN Strategic Plans’, PTPTN will make sure all their staff will train to use Information Communication Technology system and they will maximize the using of automatic system. To enhance their service quality, PTPTN will enhance the using of new media such as Facebook, Twitter and so on. (Pelan Strategik PTPTN, 2011-2012)

By introduced the new media and online applications, PTPTN success in get back their loans and give information towards their borrowers. According to PTPTN Executive Chief, Agos Nolan said about 83% of PTPTN borrowers pay back their loan through periodic method. PTPTN also very flexible and practice openness when dealing with the borrowers. They also accepted the payment based on the ability of borrowers’ financial status. (Utusan Malaysia, 10 April 2012)

Based on the above, there are clear that PTPTN’s PR was doing a great job to ensure that PTPTN will get back their money and give information towards their borrowers by using new media. By their strategic plan also, we can see that they try to give better quality of service towards their loan holders and their potential loan holders. Hopefully, from time to time we can see the improvement of PTPTN in order to manage Malaysian educational loan.

REFERENCES:

PTPTN Official Website: www.ptptn.gov.my

PTPTN. 2012. Pelan Strategik PTPTN 2011-2015. Malaysia.

Noora Md. Yusof. 2010. PTPTN Perkenal Saluran Interaksi. Berita Harian. Retrived from http://www.bharian.com.my/bharian/articles/PTPTNperkenalsaluraninteraksi/Article/index_html

_____. 2012. 83% Pelajar Bayar Balik Pinjaman PTPTN – Agos. Utusan Online. Retrieved from     http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2012&dt=0411&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&            ec=Kampus&pg=ka_02.htm

                     

By: MOHD TARMIMI MOHD ZULKIFLY