Freelancing the way to financial freedom

PETALING JAYA: A foundation has recently announced efforts to assist more than 100,000 National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN) defaulters to earn extra to help them repay their loans.
According to the president of Yayasan Ehwal Siswazah (YES), Khairul Ridzwan Ibrahim, they will assist these defaulters to earn extra though freelance work opportunities.
"Their income will be generated by undertaking the freelance online assignment. As it is now, the global freelance job market is worth around RM1 trillion per annum and there are more than 50,000,000 Americans who are already actively earning income via freelance job assignments.
"YES is confident that more than 100,000 graduates who have difficulties to repay their PTPN loans can benefit from this initiative. This is based on encouraging reports that several graduates who registered as freelancers to undertake online assignments are already earning more than RM100,000 per year," he said.
Khairul said details of this initiative will be announced once YES has concluded negotiations with local telcos on their involvement by offering access to high-speed broadband services to the affected graduates.
YES has also received confirmation from Mdec to provide technical support and advice graduates registered with YES to participate in this project.
He said YES was also sourcing for more investors to help them train an initial 100,000 graduates.
"These social impact investors can expect a return of about double the amount invested for the training of freelancers within a year," he added.
YES hope this initiative helps out an end to the issue of asking the government to postpone repayment of PTPN loans.
"Postponing payments does not solve the problem of unpaid loans as it only serves to delay or defer the solution.
"Eventually graduates need to repay their loans and this initiative would serve as the way out of this unproductive blaming game," he added.
Graduates who want to participate as members of YES Freelancers Club are welcome to send an email to ngotower@gmail.com