LUMUT, April 25 — The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), via the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN), will provide RM1,000 to each of the 21 children affected by the two helicopter crash that tragically claimed the lives of 10 Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) personnel at the Lumut Base.
Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Zambry Abd Kadir stated that any of the children studying at a university will be exempted from paying fees until the completion of their studies.
He said the decision was made to alleviate the financial burden on the victims’ families and was approved by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“So far, our data shows that there are 21 children who are still in school and they have been identified to receive free SSPN accounts.
“We will update the actual number of affected children,” he told reporters after visiting the family of petty officer Noor Shahrizan Mohd Termizi at Taman Bunga Tanjung, Lekir, last night.
“I believe that the Ministry of Defence may have plans for the children, so having an SSPN account will facilitate contributions, including from other agencies.
“As for the exemption of university tuition fees, currently, only one victim’s child, Nurul Shahfiqah Mohd Shahrizan, 21, is studying at Universiti Malaysia Kelantan,” he said.
— Bernama
