According to The Vibes “ THE Sikh community in Malaysia, though small in number, stands tall when it comes to unity and supporting each other.
As the famous proverb goes, "It takes a village to raise a child," and the Sikh community here is doing just that, particularly in ensuring everyone in their community has access to higher education.
According to Manraj Singh Sandhu, pursuing higher education should never be an issue for the Sikh community.
The vice-chairman of the Malayan Sikhs Education Aid Fund (Mseaf) said the group is offering interest-free loans to eligible Sikh students to pursue higher education.
Established in 1951, the objective of Mseaf is to encourage deserving Sikh students to take up tertiary education at any public or private institution of higher learning within Malaysia or even abroad.
Recognising the importance of education, the organisation does not want finances to be a stumbling block in a person’s path to acquiring knowledge.
"We want to encourage students to take up courses and study. The majority of the students who apply for the loan are from poor and low-earning households.
"We don’t want them to think they can’t study because their parents have no money. We believe education is very important.
"Today, we have many doctors, lawyers, engineers, accountants, and businesspeople who have benefitted from Mseaf," Manraj told The Malaysian Insight.
Malaysian Sikhs are known to be one of the smallest communities in the country, estimated to be less than 100,000.
Nevertheless, the Sikhs have a strong community bond.
Manraj said that the fund was essentially the idea of their forefathers, who foresaw the importance of education. He said the Sikh community made the effort by coming together to help fund students even back then, as many among them did not have the resources or funds to study and obtain basic degrees. Now, the community’s collective effort is realising the dreams of many.
"We’ve moved on and grown over the years," Manraj, who runs a digital agency, said. Since its inception, regular donors have contributed to Mseaf on a monthly and yearly basis. However, in 2010, during the Najib Razak administration, the foundation received a one-off RM360,000 contribution.
"We have not received anything from the government since then. It is just members of the community who donate regularly," he said.
"The foundation's fund size is currently around RM2.5 million. Since it is an interest-free loan, it is a revolving fund. "So, whatever we give out, after the student finishes their education, they start paying it back," he added.
To date, Mseaf has received 1,623 applications, with 92% of suitable candidates vetted and 85% successfully approved. A total of RM5 million has been disbursed to date. Manraj said that the foundation prioritises giving loans to those in the B40 and M40 categories.
He said the foundation provides up to RM50,000 in loans, with two guarantors who are employed or business owners.
"There are three categories here. For certificates, we give up to RM15,000; for diplomas, we provide up to RM30,000; and for degrees, up to RM50,000.
"There is no minimum amount. One can even apply for RM2,000 with us," he said. Once students submit their application, which is available on Mseaf’s website, Manraj said the candidate would be called for a physical interview, to be attended with their parents."We encourage the parents to come along. We ask relevant questions about their financial situation and the student’s interest in the degree, diploma, or certificate programme they are pursuing."We also consider the parents' income and whether they have taken any other education loans," he said, adding that students can still seek Mseaf loans even if they have applied for the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loan."Lately, we have been getting a lot of students who are not receiving up to 90% from PTPTN."Some receive 50 or 60% and come from very poor homes. They can't manage the remaining 30 to 40%. So, we have been helping them with the balance," Manraj said. Mseaf usually credits the funds on a semester basis directly to the educational institution rather than the student’s personal bank account.He said the continuation of the loan disbursement also depends on the student's results."Once the students receive the offer letter and determine the amount they wish to apply for, and once the sum is approved, we break it down over the number of semesters.
"We then transfer this money to the university's account on a semester basis, depending on their results.
"We don't want to get into a situation where students are failing their subjects and we are wasting our money," he said.
Regarding repayment, Manraj said it begins three months after the student has completed their studies.
"Once the student has completed their course, we give them three months to find a job and start working.
"They then begin paying back as little as RM500 monthly, and that's how the money is collected.
"We have also developed a 60-month payment scheme, where students can return the amount borrowed over 60 months or opt for a minimum of RM500 a month.
"Some students borrow around RM8,000 or RM10,000, so 60 months would be too long to recover the money. With that money, we can help other students," he said.
Manraj noted that there has been a spike in applications recently, with around 20 applications received in the last two months.
"Last year, we probably gave out loans to at least three students a month.
"This year, on average, we have given loans to about five students a month," he said.
University partnership and TVET
Manraj said the foundation has not imposed any restrictions on the courses a student wishes to enrol in.
Students are free to enrol in any programme they are passionate about, even abroad.
"Our biggest encouragement to students is to pursue what they love to do.
"We only ask whether the courses are available locally.
"Back in the day, we used to give loans to students studying medicine in Russia or Indonesia because the cost was cheaper there compared to Malaysia.
"But today, students can choose to study anywhere, in Malaysia or abroad," he said.
Most students who apply for the loan are pursuing degrees and diplomas in law, accounting and finance, cybersecurity, and various forms of information technology.
With the positive responses received, Manraj said that four reputable universities have collaborated with Mseadf, offering up to a 20% discount to students recommended by the foundation.
A few more universities have also expressed their willingness to collaborate with the foundation.
"Students interested in courses offered by these universities can receive additional discounts," he said.
Besides this, the foundation is also encouraging students to take up Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) courses.
"We find that TVET programmes are not expensive, and the job opportunities out there are amazing. To get a plumber or an electrician today costs a lot of money.
"So, we are encouraging students to pursue TVET programmes," he said.
Future plans
Under the stewardship of President Amarjit Singh Deo, Manraj said that Mseaf is rejuvenated and eager to reach new heights in helping more underprivileged Sikh students.
With the foundation having received tax-exempt status from the government, Manraj said that they would soon launch a fundraising campaign.
"Once we start the fundraising donation drive, we plan to travel from north to south, visiting states and towns.
"We will meet people and give talks in Gurdwaras, encouraging more youngsters to hear us out and see how we can help them.
"We will also reach out to professionals in these towns to contribute so that we can help more students," he said.
Mseaf is targeting to collect around RM3 to RM4 million within the next two years.
"We received tax exemption for five years, so our target is to collect within the next two years.
"Therefore, we urge companies and small and medium-sized enterprises to come on board and donate regularly for this important cause.
"Our aim is to collect significantly more so that we can help more students.
"RM50,000 for education is very little these days. It would be great if we could collect more money in the future, perhaps enough to help students by giving RM80,000 or more," he said.
Manraj said they are also hoping for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government to provide some contribution to the foundation.
"Even if it is not a one-off contribution, a small annual sum would help. It would benefit some poor Sikh students," he said.
The foundation's accounts are audited annually, ensuring complete transparency.
He added that the foundation strives to keep operating costs as low as possible, with most expenses borne by the committee rather than using the collected funds.
Those who wish to donate can do so at 014226213336 (Malayan Banking Berhad). – August 18, 2024.
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