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THE Government is studying the possibility of expanding the FLYSiswa initiative to benefit students from private higher learning institutions (IPTS), according to Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
Loke said the proposal has been under consideration since the programme’s inception, but the move would require a significant budgetary allocation.
“Whether we want to extend this to private institution students, the total amount involved is very large. It’s not that we don’t want to, but we are facing financial constraints,” he said during the Ministers’ Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He noted that each eligible student currently receives RM400 in flight vouchers, which would represent a substantial commitment if expanded to private institutions.
“One student receives RM400, which is not a small amount. So if 100,000 students were to be included, that would already amount to RM40 million,” he said in response to a supplementary question from Shaharizukirnain Abd Kadir (PN–Setiu) on whether FLYSiswa would be extended to IPTS students.
Loke explained that the FLYSiswa initiative, introduced under the Madani Government, provides RM400 worth of flight vouchers to students at public universities (IPTA), polytechnics, and teacher education institutes (IPG).
“With this voucher, they can purchase flight tickets to travel between Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak.
“If the flight costs less than RM400, they can still use the remaining balance to buy future tickets,” he said.
The minister added that while the government recognises the needs of students in private institutions, any expansion of the scheme would depend on future financial capacity and prioritisation within available resources. - November 5, 2025
