IMAJ Eases Financial Burden Of Johor Students In Higher Education

BATU PAHAT, June 4 (Bernama) -- The Johor state government's Insentif Mahasiswa Anak Johor (IMAJ) initiative has helped ease the financial burden of students pursuing higher education, particularly those from lower-income households.

Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) student Muhammad Razif Razak, 24, said the one-off RM200 assistance had helped support his daily expenses, with much of the aid used to purchase materials for his coursework.

The Technical and Vocational Education student said the assistance, which he received in March, had reduced his reliance on loans from the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN).

"It has also helped lessen the burden on my parents as I no longer need to ask them for money to purchase certain items required for university projects.

"As a final-year student, I hope the programme will continue next semester as I will be undergoing industrial training, which will require additional expenses," he told Bernama during the Ayuh Johor Mahasiswa programme at UTHM here today.

Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi officiated the event, which was also attended by state Education and Information Committee chairman Aznan Tamin and state Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid.

Meanwhile, Chia Yi Xin, 23, said she intends to keep the IMAJ assistance as emergency savings and will only use it when necessary, such as in the event of a vehicle breakdown.

The fourth-semester Mechanical Engineering student said for now, her PTPTN loan remained sufficient to cover her expenses after tuition fees were deducted.

Another Mechanical Engineering student, R Yogendren, 26, described the aid as meaningful, saying it helped ease students' daily expenses and enabled them to purchase learning aids and engineering equipment required for their studies.

Meanwhile, Onn Hafiz said the state government had introduced various assistance programmes, including Bantuan Kasih Johor (BKJ) and IMAJ, to help ease the financial burden of Bangsa Johor.

He said the state government was also creating employment opportunities by attracting investments into Johor and urged Johor youths to contribute to the state's development instead of seeking opportunities elsewhere, including in Singapore.

-- BERNAMA