Most Thais support scrapping interest on student loans: survey
Most Thais support new legislation that would exempt students from having to pay interest on loans they obtain from the Students Loan Fund, according to a National Institute of Development Administration (Nida Poll) survey.
The survey was conducted among 1,312 respondents aged 18 or over between September 26 and 29.
The new student loans bill passed its third reading in the lower House on September 14 and has been forwarded to the Senate for deliberation.
Under the new bill, students will receive interest-free loans and not be fined for late payments. The bill also scraps the need to name guarantors to secure student loans.
If enacted, the new law will benefit about 3.4 million students who borrow from the fund.
Currently, the fund charges annual interest of 1 per cent, or up to 7.5 per cent for students who default on their debt.
Asked whether they agreed with scrapping interest on student loans, the survey respondents responded as follows:
- 55.18 per cent totally agreed
- 18.22 per cent moderately agreed
- 17.61 per cent totally disagreed
- 8.99 per cent moderately disagreed.
Asked what they thought of the decision to lift penalty interest rates:
- 42.76 per cent totally agreed
- 19.06 per cent moderately agreed
- 23.32 per cent totally disagreed
- 14.48 per cent moderately disagreed
- 0.38 per cent had no comment
Former students being sued for defaulting on loans have called on the fund to wipe out their debts.
Asked how they feel about the call to wipe out debts, respondents replied as follows:
- 16.62 per cent totally agreed
- 14.48 per cent moderately agreed
- 59.91 per cent totally disagreed
- 8.08 per cent moderately disagreed
- 0.91 per cent had no comment.
Asked whether they thought the student loan fund is useful for poor students:
- 84.53 per cent said very useful
- 13.72 per cent said moderately useful
- 0.69 per cent said not useful
- 0.76 per cent said not very useful
- 0.30 per cent had no comment.
Asked whether they had any connection to the student loan fund:
- 61.28 per cent said no connection
- 21.95 per cent said they had children who had taken loans from the fund
- 9.83 per cent said they were former students still paying off loans
- 4.88 per cent were former students who had paid back their loans in full
- 1.75 per cent had taken loans and were still studying
- 0.23 per cent were negotiating with the fund to restructure their debt
- 0.08 per cent were facing lawsuits for defaulting on student loans.
Last month, House Speaker Chuan Leekpai, who initiated the fund 20 years ago when he was the prime minister, said he disagreed with the bill and regarded it as a ploy to win votes by politicians.
Chuan said the fund needed interests to expand itself to be able to help more poor students.
