PTPTN Chairman Wan Saiful Wan Jan said a mock cheque was handed over to the Kedah Mufti Datuk Syeikh Fadzil Awang this morning. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 27 — The National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) today paid RM1 million in alms to the Kedah Zakat Board to help alleviate poverty in the state.

PTPTN chairman Wan Saiful Wan Jan said a mock cheque was handed over to the Kedah Mufti Datuk Syeikh Fadzil Awang this morning.

“Hopefully this zakat payment can help in development efforts for the destitute and reduce poverty in Kedah. I also hope this small step will help strengthen ties between PTPTN as a federal government agency and the Kedah state,” he said in a statement.

He praised the Kedah Zakat Board for its commitment towards fair distribution of alms, as well as its “creative” initiatives in using mosques statewide to feed the poor and organise entrepreneurial courses.

He said that he hopes the payment made to the Kedah Zakat Board will help alleviate the burdens experienced by its recipients, especially in the field of education and human capital development.

He said he appreciated the interest shown by Kedah Zakat Board CEO Syeikh Zakaria Othman in creating strategic cooperation with the student loan corporation as a federal government agency.

He said he will discuss with both Syeikh Zakaria and the board suitable activities to help Kedahans.