KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 25 -- Malaysia's push to reduce student debt and expand scholarships is taking shape as 7,003 first-generation university students have already benefited from the Siswa Sulung tuition-free scheme.

The programme, introduced in the 2022/23 academic session, exempts eligible B40 students from paying tuition fees at public universities.

"From the 2023/24 intake, the programme was expanded to all 20 public universities nationwide," Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapha Sakmud told the Dewan Rakyat today.

He said the government has spent RM27 million supporting the initiative, with women making up more than two-thirds of beneficiaries and Bumiputera students accounting for 5,760 of the total.

Kelantan recorded t...